[The Good, Bad and Ugly] - Not All Attractive Plants Are Safe For You

We are in a world were everything looks beautiful at first glance and they often attract us to them but our planet often comes with mysteries that can be in form of danger lurking in plain site. Understanding what can be good, bad, and somewhat evil in our world is important in ensuring that we are alive, and I will be doing the honors here.

One of those things that can be very attractive but comes with its own danger is the Opium Poppy with the Scientific name Papaver somniferum is a self pollinating annual that can produce seeds without the need for pollinators growing up to one and half meters tall. This flower plant belongs to the family of Papaveraceae which is the family for about 800 other flowering plant.

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Species from this family are very beautiful and they serve as garden flowers of different colors of bloom. While it has been planted for thousands of years, it was first used for food purposes until people began to learn about its drowsy effect. This plant produces natural latex which is a natural defense against microbes and insects but we have been able to harness the latex in the production of morphine, codeine, and Heroine.

Maybe you have heard of Betel nuts which are the fruit of the areca palm which is part of the Areca Genome which has 51 other species. The Areca plant is native to the Philippines and grows in parts like South Asia, South-east Asia, the Western pacific, and Eastern Africa. People chew the Areca palm with Piper betle also known as betle leaves and the fruit from the Areca plant to give them a boost which arises from an Alkaloid in the plant known as arecoline which acts as a stimulant and it can become additive and has an effect on the parasympathetic system.

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While it is addictive and gives this stimulating effect, excessive use has been associated with increased risk of cancer and oral diseases but there is a good side to the betel nut as research has shown that consuming moderate amount of Areca can be beneficial for patients suffering from schizophrenia although more research needs to be done to understand the full benefit.

The sandbox tree with the scientific name Hura crepitans is a tree that thrives in the tropics and its name comes from the use of its ripe fruit as a container for sand when sand was used as an ink blotter to absorb excessive ink. This was a common practice until the 1800s. The tree is of the Family Euphorbiaceae which consists of about 7500 flowering plant in all continents except Antarctica.

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Its fruits when dry explodes, and its sound has been compared to that of a pistol with the force of its blast causing its seed to move at a speed of 240km/h and send them about 45 meters. Asides its seeds, its back it covered with 1 inch spike which are strong and powerful so climbing the tree to get its fruit is not an idea as it can be dangerous but then its fruit itself is not inviting as consuming can cause cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea. Its sap also causes skin rash when it comes in contact with the skin and can lead to temporary blindness if it comes in contact with the eyes.

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Still on explosive and poisonous fruits is the plant Ecballium elaterium known as the Squirting or Exploding cucumber. The plant is part of the gourd family in the mediterranean and is a flowering plant with yellow flowers and visible fruits that looks like a cucumber vaguely but these seeds explode and they help to spread the seeds to far distances.

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The fruits of the plant have soft cells and it holds water in its gourd which would produce an osmostic pressure of 27 atmospheres and the seed can disperse as far as 6 meters from the plant. The plants have been used for concoctions in the past for over 1000 years but in recent development, study showed that undiluted Ecballium elaterium juice causes irritation, and the inflammation of the mucus membranes leading to inability to swallow, vomiting, and pink eye.

Nature is beautiful but it comes with its own tricks and surprises so the next time you see a flower looking attractive and you want to touch, remember that some beauty come with pain.

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^Reference

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^{https://museum.dea.gov/exhibits/online-exhibits/cannabis-coca-and-poppy-natures-addictive-plants/opium-poppy
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/chemistry/articles/10.3389/fchem.2020.00737/full
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1767178/
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https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-995/betel-nut
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK316574/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9170825/
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees
https://sites.google.com/view/toxic-botany/stu/sandbox-tree
https://www.mona.uwi.edu/fms/wimj/system/files/article_pdfs
https://www.kew.org/plants/squirting-cucumber
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological
https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=36044}