Poisonous Plants

Plants are truly nature’s storehouse. It has been said that approximately 50% of pharmaceuticals come from plants or originally were derived from plants before being artificially synthesized in the lab. Some of them can be good for you and can supplement the diet while in the mountains. Other plants have served as the food staple for millions of people in several cultures. But of course not all of them are very friendly. Many have compounds that can make them both helpful medicinally if used properly or deadly if used improperly. It’s interesting that some of the most deadly plants come from some of the most valuable food families. Examples are the carrot family (Apiaceae) and pea family (Fabaceae), which have huge economic value as food, but also contain some of the most toxic plants. You’ll be surprised to see some species that are known to be edible to humans or animals, but if prepared improperly or used to excess can be poisonous. This album contains plants primarily from the western U.S. that are toxic, but feel free to add poisonous plant photos from anywhere.

Disclaimer: This album is meant for general information only. The use of plant photos on the internet to identify plants should not be taken as always accurate. Your decision to eat or not eat a plant based upon something you saw or didn't see in this album is not my responsibility. A person’s inability to correctly identify a species whether based upon error, lack of expertise or laziness is not my responsibility. If you want to graze in the outdoors, just be sure you have done your homework first and realize that toxin levels can vary within a species or from year to year depending upon a variety of conditions.

mrh

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