IDENTIFICATION OF

TOXIC PLANTS
DR. SUMIRA ISHAQ
Assistant Professor Pharmacognosy,
Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences,
Jinnah Sindh Medical University.
Many edible plants have deadly relatives and
look-alikes. Preparation for military missions
includes learning to identify those harmful
plants in the target area. Positive identification
of edible plants will eliminate the danger of
accidental poisoning. There is no room for
experimentation where plants are concerned,
especially in unfamiliar territory.
1) THE COMMERCIAL NAME, COMMON
NAME, AND SCIENTIFIC NAMES OF THE
PLANT
Most actual cases of poisoning of
man and livestock involve the
identification of plant material by its
common name alone. There are no
rules for establishing common names
of plants. Common names can be
highly misleading and may
wrongly suggest toxicity or the
lack of toxicity.
For example;
• A plant known as a “PEPPER”
plant could be the sweet pepper
commonly eaten as a vegetable
(Capsicum annuum);
or one of the extremely hot,
virtually “inedible’ peppers
used as a decorative
houseplant;
or the spice plant from
which we derive black
pepper (Piper nigrum); or
the pepper bush (Leucothoe
species) containing
grayanotoxins; or the pepper
tree [false pepper (Schinus
molle)] with triterpene-
containing berries; or any
number of other species
with “pepper’ as part of its
common name.
• The name POKE WEED or
POKE ROOT is commonly
applied to three different genera.
All three Phytolacca americana,
Veratrum viride, and
Symplocarpus foetidus have
histories of toxicity, but the
syndrome differs greatly, as
would the appropriate treatment.
 2) PLANT MPRPHOLOGY

It’s very important to have information about toxic pant’s

morphology. For example, in the case of having taken ‘fruit’,
inquiries along following path should be made:
• Appearance of the plant? (low herb, shrub, or tree).
• Kind of fruit? (berry, nut, etc.).
• Size, color, nature of fruit? (juicy, fleshy, firm, etc.).
• Number of seeds, stones or pips in it?
• Arrangement of the fruit on the plant? (singly, in pairs, many
clustered together, stalked, unstalked).
• Were the other parts of the plant also eaten? (leaves, root, etc.).
• Size, shape, arrangement of the
leaves? (roundish, oval, pointed,
prickly, stalked or not, with
notches, run of the nerves, etc.).
And other parts of the plant
(like flower, root, etc.).
For example:
• MELIA ASADIRECTA (Neem)
is a tree, found in Asian sub-
continent. Its yellow fruit are
toxic.
• ATROPA BELLADONA is an
herb. Its fruit is toxic, which is
one in number, blue-black in
colour, and with juicy pulp.
 3) AGE OF THE PLANT

The age of the plant contribute

to variability. Young plants
may contain more or less of
some constituents than mature
plants. For example:
• In Pokeweed (Phytolacca
Americana), sprout and
young leaves are safer to eat
than mature leaves. The
saponin produced in
pokeweed as it develops
contributes to the toxicity of
the mature plant.
 4) HABITAT OF THE PLANT
The location of the plant growth is
also very important. Either it is found
in field, hedge, roadside, garden,
park. The degree of toxicity also
depends on the location (including
height above sea level), climatic
factors including the local
microclimate (light, warmth, and
humidity), and the growing season,
type of soil, fertilization, plant
variety and age.
For example:
• Duranta repens (Golden Dewdrop)
is found in woody area. Its fruit is
highly toxic, having saponin
components.
• TOXICO DENDRON
(Poison IVY / Oak, Dum
dum ki bar) is an
ornamental plant. All parts
are highly toxic, even
smoke.

• Lichens produce carotenoids

in direct relation to the
amount of sunlight.
 5) PART OF PLANT

Poisonous plants have a seed, root, leaf, stalk, fruit or

juice where even a relatively small amount, taken either
internally or externally, can lead to injury to the human
body. It means that one part of a plant can be toxic
whereas others are not. In some species the poisonous
constituents occur throughout the whole plant.
For example:
• Apple (Malus domestica).
Seeds contain cyanogenic
glycosides; in most species,
the amount found in a single
fruit won't kill a person; but
it is possible to ingest
enough seeds to cause
damage.
• Cabbage: stem has copper
and selenium, which are
toxic.
• Castor oil plant (Ricinus
communis). The phytotoxin
is ricin, an extremely toxic
water-soluble protein, which
is concentrated in the seed.
Also present are ricinine, an
alkaloid, and irritant oil.
Causes burning in mouth
and throat, convulsions, and
is often fatal.

• Poke weed or Poke Root:

Roots and fruits are toxic,
but not young shoots.
• Tomato (Solanum
lycopersicum). Foliage and
vines contain alkaloid
poisons which cause
digestive upset and nervous
excitement.
• Hemlock (Conium
maculatum). All parts of the
plant contain the relatively
simple alkaloid coniine
which causes stomach pains,
vomiting, and progressive
paralysis of the central
nervous system. Can be
fatal.
• Strychnine Tree (Strychnos
nux-vomica). The seeds of
the strychnine tree usually
contain about 1.5%
strychnine, an extremely
bitter and deadly alkaloid.
This substance throws a
human into intense muscle
convulsions and usually
kills within three hours. The
bark of the tree may also
contain brucine, another
dangerous chemical
• Potato (Solanum
tuberosum). Foliage and
green-tinged tubers are
toxic, containing the
alkaloid solanine, causes
intense digestive
disturbances, nervous
symptoms, and in high
enough doses, death.
 6) QUALITY OF TOXIC COMPOUND

Either the toxic compound is

alkaloid, glycoside, or essential
oil, or etc.
For example:

• DAFFODILS, HYACINTH,
and TULIP may cause
contact dermatitis, if an
individual handles their
bulb, and cut flowers.
Theses conditions occur
frequently enough to have
achieved common names:
• “Hyacinth itch”, “Daffodil
itch”, and “Tulip fingers”.
The rashes are due to
irritation from alkaloids
(masonin, lycorin, and
several other related
alkaloids) or due to needle-
like crystals of Calcium
oxalate present in the bulbs.
• Poisoning of live stock from
Hypericum perforatum (St.
John’s wort) has been
reported. The toxic principle
is Hypericin, which is
present throughout the plant.
Sheep are most commonly
effected animals. Hypericin
causes photosensitization.
 7) QUANTITY OF TOXIC COMPOUND

Different portions of a plant

(root, stem, leaves, and seeds)
often contain different
concentration of a chemical.

For example:
• Paclitaxel (Taxol), from
species of Taxus (Yew), is
present in various parts of
Taxus Cuspidata.
• The needle, bark, wood, and mature cones contain, in that
order, decreasing concentration of paclitaxel. It may cause
mydraisis, severs abdominal cramps, and vomiting, death can
be sudden without warning.

• Tulipalin-A, which is responsible for “Tulip Finger”, is present

in some cultivators in a concentration as high as 2 percent. A
safe threshold for this allergen is considered to be a
concentration of 0.01 percent. The advantage to the plant of
the tulipalins is not their allergenic properties but that they are
strong antifungal agents.
 8) GENETIC DIFFFERENCES WITHIN A
SPECIES
Genetic differences within a species may alter the
ability of individual plant to synthesize a chemical.
Synthesis of related toxic chemical often is found in
taxonomically related species as a characteristic of a
genus and sometimes as a familiar characteristic.
For example:
• Species of Ranunculus
(Buttercup) produce an
acrid juice that releases the
irritating chemical,
’Anemonin’. Some other
genera of the same family
(Ranunculaceae) also
release anemonin.

• Family Apocynaceae
contains Indole alkaloid in
some species and glycosides
in others.