Poisonous plants

[tommy the cat]

Probably a daft question but I am king of them!!!!!!!
Trying to improve my knowledge of trees,plants funghi etc and have bought some useful books. Some are the Colins midget some are a little lager but still ok to carry in. My question is (finally I know I waffle) it lists various poisonous plants but has no more information than that, but I pressume this will usually mean if ingested?
Is there anything in the Uk that we would be better off not handling? Where poss I try to take photos but have occasionaly picked a small specimen (especially if I can see an abundance of the plant) usually when I have forgot my camera.
Same question with funghi as well. I do tend to take in waterless handwash into the woods with me so rarely handle something without wiping my hands before eating.
Ta thicky Tommy

 

[xylaria]

The short answer is that there plants in UK that should not be handled.

The long answer is giving you list of what they are.
Giant hogweed, heracleum mantegazzianum The plant sap gives you big ugly itchy blisters when it reacts with sunlight which permently makes you skin sensitive to sun. The sap does give off a very pleasant smell before the blisters come up and you spit on/wash the smell off and not get too burnt by the plant. Spit maybe more effective than just water. I have a hogweed frekle and the back of my hand it icthes every summer.

Hogweed is member of the carrot family there is some other members like parsnip that can produces a simerlar reaction but they are no where near as nasty.

Sun spurges Euphorbia Spp Causes hidious blisters without need for sunlight. The family is pretty easy to ID and aviod.

Traveller's joy clematis vitalba has sap that irrate the skin but fluffy seed heads are fine.

Monkshood Aconite napellus The toxic alkaliods can be absorbed through ths skin, but cases of this actually producing piosoning are bit hard come by.

Black bryony Tamus communis can cause contact dermatitis but not the lethal poisoning of that consumption does.

Stonecrops sedumspp

cookoo pint arum maculatum

Most of these plants can handled with care, rather than totally advoided. I would be here all day if I listed everything that can causes dermatitis, but most cases dermatitis clears up quite quickly. I might be wrong but it the hogweed and spruges are the only ones that can cause a perminant effect/scarring. They certainly are the only ones I totally avoid touching.

There is no fungi or solanacous plants that poison you on contact. Ragwort doesn't either. I have visited cloud cookoo land by stabbing several little brown mushroom into my hand, but you can't die from bathing in death cap soup.

 

[tommy the cat]

Thanks for that. As mentioned saying something is poisonous in a book is a little vague and what you have said has really cleared that I now will be getting out my books to try to identify the plants mentioned. Thanks
Just had a look in my book and it doesnt show a pic of giant hogweed just hogweed Heracleum sphondylium which it doesnt list as toxic?
Ta D

 

[xylaria]

Heracleum sphondylium is eaten when young. It also causes photodermatitis, but looking on the FDA site less so than giant hogweed. The main and most obvious differance between hogweed and giant hogweed is that the gaint is twice the size. Being truthful I have never considered eating hogweed because when it just shoots I wouldn't trust myself to get it right. I don't want a gob that looks like I have had really bad plastic surgery :borgsmile .

http://dermnetnz.org/dermatitis/plants/hogweed.html

I sure there is members that have eaten it.

 

[Too Much Kit To Carry]

We've just got back with enough of the young shoots from heracleum sphondylium to make a flan/quiche.

Also got some Ramsons for a little flavour.

Will add some pictures when I get Jnr off to bed.

Phil.

 

[xylaria]

:You_Rock_

So mr TMKTC how do you tell the difference between the two and not risk the lips of blisters and permanent brown blobs?

Or is it a cooking thing that makes them safe?

 

[Too Much Kit To Carry]

I was inspired by Steve and Huw of The Bushcraft Magazine at their family bushcraft day last Saturday. Steve showed us the plant in detail. He had picked a load the day before and his good lady made the most awesome flan - which we are about to make.

Here is what we picked: -

The front of the main leaf with the stems trimmed from the fresh shoots.

Back of the leaf.

Have ID'd the plant from memory, the magazine article and online.

Any thoughts in case this is the wrong plant?

Phil.

 

[xylaria]

From your piccy the underneath of the hogweed and the giant hogweed look very differant.

You piccy shows a softer very very obviously thinner plant. The stem does not look very highly grooved in the way giant hogweed does.

. Do you wear gloves to pick it?

 

[Too Much Kit To Carry]

Only wore gloves when I had to get the shoots from inter-growing nettles.

The Mrs. in 110% convinced it's the right plant. We only picked from plants no higher than 400mm or approx. 16 inches in old money.

Phil.

 

[JonnyP]

This is giant hogweed, I don't think it looks anything like hogweed...
Phil, I am sure that is hogweed you have there, but please be careful picking members of the umbellifer family....

 

[Too Much Kit To Carry]

This is giant hogweed, I don't think it looks anything like hogweed...
Phil, I am sure that is hogweed you have there, but please be careful picking members of the umbellifer family....

Cheers Jon - was hoping that you'd stick a post up here as I know you have a good knowledge of plants.

I'm pretty certain this is normal hogweed, having ID it in the field 5 days ago with The Bushcraft Magazine guys.

Cheers,

Phil.

 

[Too Much Kit To Carry]

Well it's all cooked and just resting for a while before we get stuck in. I will try a small amount and leave it for a while before having a slice.

Looks pretty good although the pastry shrank a little: -

Phil.

 

[bushtank]

That looks very nice mate my mouth is watering

 

[xylaria]

That looks really tasty. AAggh food porn!.

I can now tell the differance between gaint and tasty hogweed :You_Rock_

 

[Too Much Kit To Carry]

Well that tasted wonderful.

Can't wait to make the next one - any other receipe suggestions?

Phil.

 

[EdS]

please be carfull around giant hog weed - I've got scars (now look like birth marks) on my knees for contact with it 20 years ago.

Some of the pines and firs need handling carefully as the resisn can irritate some people and others the resin is just so damn difficult to get.

 

[Jodie]

I really enjoyed this thread and both types of hogweed look rather interesting.
Xylaria your post was fascinating - thank you. I clicked on the link in your
post about dermatitis and was glad that I've not yet lost my timidity around
wild plants! The picture on the right is (I'm reasonably sure) showing a
plant that abounds locally and I'm relieved I didn't go picking it with my
bare hands.

Possibly I might be confusing cow parsnip with cow parsley but I'll be giving
them a swerve nonetheless - I am obviously not safe to be let out of doors
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cow_Parsnip
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cow_Parsley

Up until fairly recently I thought hogweed was just a made up plant (after
all it features in an early Genesis song - 'Return of the Giant Hogweed')

 

[falling rain]

There's an interesting bit here http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A4113983 about poisons. Some of the poisons mentioned in the piece are from plants that are found in britain. Henbane contains Hyoscine and I've read it was used by Crippen.

 

[xylaria]

But if you are nervious you miss out some tasty treats, most things out there are not out to get you.

I can understand why people are nervous of handling plants and fungi, but there few plants out there that toxic. OK I admit am too nervous with members of the carrot family. I do feel you have to be shown both the nice ones and the mean ones at the same time. Jon Pickett is so right giant hogweed and hogweed look nothing like each other. Now I have been shown them both together I cant believe I was silly enough to muddle them up.

I too have hogweed burns on the back of my hand. I remember when I did it the sap leaves a smell on the skin which get stronger the longer you leave it. It smells like crushed rose petals. I managed the sniff out where the sap was on my forearms and hands and spit on it and scrub it off. I missed a bit and it came up in the most painful blister that now turns into itchy freckle every summer. Both my hands were pretty much covered in the stuff but knowing what the plant was and a bit about its chemistry I think saved me from serious injury.

 

[JonnyP]

please be carfull around giant hog weed - I've got scars (now look like birth marks) on my knees for contact with it 20 years ago.

Some of the pines and firs need handling carefully as the resisn can irritate some people and others the resin is just so damn difficult to get.

I only ever touch dried out giant hogweed, its a pretty impressive stalk..... You are right about firs, I have had my arms come out in rashes after hedge cutting leylandi...