What Are the Poisonous Flowers? The Latest Roundup of Toxic Flowers

Nowadays, more and more people are growing flowers. Placing a few pots of flowers on a balcony or in a room can purify the air and beautify the environment, as well as cultivate one's character, letting you experience endless joy in the process of growing flowers. But as everyone knows, some flowers are poisonous by nature, and prolonged exposure to their scent can have adverse effects on people. Below we introduce some common poisonous flowers, so that you can pay attention to the relevant matters when planting them and avoid plant poisoning.

Oleander

It blooms in spring, summer and autumn every year, and is a flower that can be enjoyed and used medicinally, yet can also poison people. Its stems, leaves and even flowers are all toxic, and if its scent is inhaled for too long, it can make a person drowsy and dull-witted. The milky white sap it secretes will cause poisoning if swallowed by mistake.

Poinsettia

The whole plant is toxic, especially the white sap in the stems and leaves, which irritates the skin and causes redness and swelling and triggers allergic reactions; if the stems or leaves are swallowed by mistake, there is a risk of poisoning and death.

Narcissus

Growing it at home is generally no problem, but do not break its bulb, because it contains lycorine; swallowing it by mistake can cause vomiting and enteritis; the sap of the leaves and flowers can cause skin redness and swelling, so take special care not to get this sap into your eyes.

Corn Poppy

The whole plant is toxic and contains toxic alkaloids; the fruit is especially toxic, and swallowing it by mistake will cause central nervous system poisoning and in severe cases may even endanger life.

Calla Lily

The flower is toxic and contains large amounts of calcium oxalate crystals and alkaloids; swallowing it by mistake will cause poisoning symptoms such as coma.

Lantana

Both the flowers and leaves are toxic; swallowing them by mistake will cause symptoms such as diarrhea and fever.

Datura Flower

Also known as belladonna flower, it is common in the rural areas of Jiangnan, and children who swallow it by mistake will be poisoned.

Night-blooming Cereus

At night, after it stops photosynthesizing, it releases large amounts of waste gas. This waste gas smells very fragrant, but it is bad for human health. If it is kept indoors for a long time, it will cause dizziness, coughing, and even asthma and insomnia. Therefore, put the night-blooming cereus indoors during the day, and move it outdoors in the evening.

Tulip

The flower contains toxic alkaloids; if people and animals stay among these flowers for 2 hours to 3 hours, they will feel dizzy and muddled and show symptoms of poisoning, and in severe cases their hair will fall out, so it is not suitable to plant it at home.

Red Spider Lily

It contains lycorine alkaloids and the whole plant is toxic; swallowing it by mistake causes vomiting and diarrhea, and in severe cases it will also cause speech impairment and bleeding from the mouth and nose.

Azalea

The plants and flowers of the yellow azalea both contain toxins, and swallowing them by mistake will cause poisoning; the flowers of the white azalea contain tetracyclic diterpenoid toxins, and after poisoning a person will suffer vomiting, difficulty breathing and numbness of the limbs, and in severe cases shock, seriously harming human health.

Redbud

If a person is exposed for too long to the pollen it releases, it will trigger asthma or worsen coughing symptoms.

Nandina

It stands tall and graceful, yet the whole plant is toxic, mainly containing nandine, nandinin and so on; after swallowing it by mistake, it easily causes poisoning symptoms such as convulsions of the whole body, spasms and coma.

Mimosa

It contains mimosine. Too much contact with this toxin will cause thinning eyebrows, and hair turning yellow or even falling out. Therefore, do not fiddle with it too much with your fingers.

Dieffenbachia

Its leaves contain oxalic acid and asparagine; swallowing it by mistake will cause pain in the mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach and intestines, and in severe cases damage the vocal cords and make a person mute.

Wisteria

Its seeds, stems and bark are all toxic; the seeds contain cytisine, and swallowing them by mistake will cause vomiting and diarrhea, and in severe cases also bleeding from the mouth and nose, cold hands and feet, and even shock and death.

Lily

If the fragrance it releases is inhaled for too long, it will overexcite a person's central nervous system and cause insomnia.

Cacti and Other Succulent Plants

Their spines contain toxic sap; after a person is pricked, it will cause allergic symptoms such as skin redness, swelling, pain and itching, leaving the whole body uncomfortable and the mind unsettled.

Pine and Cypress

The fragrant scent released by these flowers and trees irritates the human digestive system; if inhaled for too long, it not only affects a person's appetite but also makes pregnant women feel restless, nauseous and dizzy.

Orchid

If the fragrance it releases is inhaled for too long, it will make a person overly excited and cause insomnia.

Hydrangea

If the tiny particles it releases come into contact with a person, they will cause itching of the skin in some people.

The above are the common poisonous flowers we have introduced for you. Besides these varieties, it has already been reported and confirmed that beautiful flowers and ornamental plants such as crown of thorns, garden balsam, iris, snow-on-the-mountain (silver-edged euphorbia), red-backed osmanthus, croton, firethorn and cactus crown can, to a certain extent, induce nasopharyngeal cancer and esophageal cancer, so attention should be paid to them during cultivation as well.