Re: Datura or Brugmansia--Yes, very poisonous

Catherine Ratner wrote:
> Dear Moira,
>
> I think the best way to prevent children and young people from
> ingesting poisonous plants is to give them accurate information about
> such plants starting when the children are very young. Remembering
> how, when I was young, I dared my best friend to try castor beans, I
> started explaining about the poisonous things when my children were
> three. My friend took the dare, chewed them and spit them out. She
> got bad blisters in her mouth and throat. These plants have
> naturalized in many places in California and are deadly if swallowed.

Hi Cathy

This is certainly the best approach for older children, with pre-schoolers we found the thing which seemed to work well was to make them promise not to put any plant material in their mouths without first asking a grownup.

I know all about the Castor plant as it was a common native in my part of East Africa and occurred in many places on our farm.

My parents were especially careful to impress on me from an early age to avoid it. The people from whom my parents bought the farm had a dreadful experience when a nephew (a young adult) out from England on a visit had actually swallowed some of the beans (why was a mystery - maybe it was deliberate - who knows?) and he unfortunately died before he could be got to hospital.

It was lucky your friend found the eating so unpleasant she never swallowed one.
--
Tony & Moira Ryan,
Wainuiomata, North Island, NZ. Pictures of our garden at:-
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/cherie1/Garden/TonyandMoira/index.htm

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