According to Guinness World Records, Ricinus communis is the world’s most poisonous plant. While walking in a park, a British woman discovered one of the most common lethal plants growing in the Welsh Council’s flower beds, as reported in Walesonline. Ricinus communis is more commonly known as the castor oil plant that contains a substance six thousand times more poisonous than cyanide.
As per the Media Wales report, earlier this week Conwy Council groundskeepers planted flowerbeds in Queen Gardens Park in Colwyn Bay. The plant was found among the flowers and shrubs. The castor oil plant has an amount of ricin (prohibited material) which is regarded as a chemical and biological weapon. Gloves are mandatory when handling the plant and the seed as it just takes between 1 and 10 seeds to cause death.
Poisonous plant Ricinus communis in Welsh council’s flower beds
In the Guinness Book of World Records, based on the amount of poison it takes to kill a person, castor bean or Ricinus communis is the most poisonous common plant in the world. According to the Encyclopedia of Chemicals, Drugs, and Biologicals (1997), named the Merck Index, a dose of 70 micrograms (2 millionths of an ounce) is enough to kill a person weighing 72 kg (160 lb or 11 st 4 lb). Conwy Council said that it would take its necessary precautions with the latest batch of Ricinus planted in Colwyn Bay and elsewhere, as mentioned in the Daily Post.
A spokesperson from Conwy Council said that they used to have Castor Oil (Ricinus communis) plants in their bedding displays for many years and they are commonly used in bedding displays throughout the UK. Further, he added that “As with many decorative plants, the seeds and seed heads are toxic if ingested, and we look to remove the plants before the seed heads set.” According to the Royal Horticultural Society, flowers that are usually used as ornaments such as daffodils, yews, bluebells, and delphinium can also be toxic if eaten.
Published:
