10 Weird And Truly Terrifying Plants

Our world is covered with plants, and we are surrounded. Previous lists have addressed some rather potent plant poisons, but this list looks at killer plants on an entirely new level of lethality. It’s not just picking petals or tasting berries that can kill. In some cases, just approaching the plant is enough to die. In this terrifying account, we will look at the sight-robbing potential of Giant Hogweed, the bizarre neurotoxic plant that can make you rob your own house, and the explanation behind Biblical legends of blood filled waters.

This list is fully referenced to document the dangers that lurk among the leaves . . . and the beaches..

10

Skunk Cabbage

Skunk Cabbage is a huge, foul smelling North American member of the Aurum family. Native to swamps, the odor of the plant is often mistaken for an irate skunk until the huge golden or purplish flowers are seen emerging from the leaves. The appearance of the plant is like an alien artifact. Although certain parts of the Skunk Cabbage were found to be edible by Native Americans, it should be known that death from severe calcium oxalate poisoning may result from consuming the wrong parts in excessive quantities. The calcium oxalate is an extremely corrosive toxin that burns into the flesh, and may shut down organ systems. The author misunderstood a gardening book and tried a flowerhead. The result was extreme burning of the mouth and throat, serious illness for several hours, and two days of difficult swallowing.

9

Buttercup

Buttercup is by far the most innocent looking plant on this list. It is also one of the most ubiquitous, and among the more deadly garden plants. Buttercup commonly grows in grassy patches with poor drainage, and may frequently be found by children who use it in games that involve touching it to the skin. The goal is to experience a momentary red mark on the skin, as the brilliant yellow flowers release a toxin induces temporary rash symptoms. Buttercup is far more dangerous, however. The plant is capable of poisoning grazing animals that eat it, causing serious gastrointestinal toxicity. Ingestion by humans may result in a painful death resulting from organ and nervous system intoxication. Beauty is clearly in the eye of the beholder, not the handler of this killer flower.

8. Giant Hogweed

Giant Hogweed is truly the plant of nightmares. While many plants are toxic by ingestion,Giant Hogweed causes horrendous damage to humans just by mere skin contact. Looking like an emergence from an alien planet, the Giant Hogweed can only destroy a human through cooperation with an extra-terrestrial body—our Sun. Giant Hogweed is photosensitive, and oozes a thick sap that coats human skin upon contact. Almost immediately, the sap reacts with the sun and starts a chemical reaction that burns through the skin and tissues, leading to necrosis and the formation of massive, purple lesions that incredibly, may last for several years. Even more terrifying is the potential of a minute amount of sap to cause permanent blindness upon eye contact. Giant Hogweed plants grow up to 8 feet tall, and have become a priority emergency target for noxious plant control departments. Pigs, however, are immune.

7

Death Camas

In the shire like Oak woodlands of Western North America, edible bulbs known as Camas plants dot the meadows with their bright flowers. First Nations actively cultivated the fields through scheduled burning, producing the potato-like food as a principle source of starch. However, a closely related species exists that looks similar to edible Camas. With a name like Toxicoscordion venenosum, it is immediately clear that this is one of the most toxic plants in existence. The Death Camas from edible camas can be distinguished by its moderately different coloration, and distinction is a matter of survival should one be persuaded to try Camas. Ingestion in anything but the smallest amounts results in rapid death through organ failure and blood disturbance. We can only imagine how the Death Camas was discovered.

6

Angel Trumpet

The spectacular Angel Trumpet vine is native to the forests of South America, and delivers a dark triad of potent toxins—atropine, hyoscyamine, and the mind altering scopolamine. Unlike the other plants on this list, Angel Trumpet is less dangerous in of itself, than as a biological weapon in the hands of humans. In 2007, Angel Trumpet was featured in the documentary “Colombian Devil’s Breath,” for its use by criminal gang members who refined scopolamine from the ethereal looking weed and used it to turn victims into zombies – literally. This “hypnotizing herb” leaves its victims unaware of the nature of their actions, but still completely conscious. The documentary contained numerous horror stories of scopolamine attacks, including one eerie case where a man had scopolamine powder thrown in his face, and promptly emptied his entire apartment into the van of the robbers. Voluntary experimenters have seriously injured themselves in their psychotic state.

5

Himalayan Blackberry

Himalayan Blackberry is one plant you don’t want to tangle with—literally. A briar on steroids, one plant can cover half an acre with treacherous slashers. Unlike normal blackberries, each stalk measures up to 2 inches across, and is covered with inch long thorns that extend like sharks teeth. While brambles might give you a scratch, an encounter with Himalayan Blackberries may warrant a visit to the emergency room. Slashes from even casual stumbles into the innocent looking plants may result in serious eye injuries and blood loss from damaged veins and arteries. Many accidents result when hikers trip in a gully infested with the hazardous spikes. Extreme protective wear including shatter proof safety goggles are favored by hazard management crews. The spiked canes are placed under tension as they tangle together, and upon disturbance, may fly back, acting as a mace capable of slashing eyes.

4

Gympie-Gympie

The Australian Gympie-Gympie tree distinguishes itself as the world’s most dangerous tree, and the most painful of all stinging plants trees. The Gympie-Gympie’s excruciating pain has been described as being sprayed with hot acid, and has driven those affected to suicide. In one disturbing case, a man shot himself after mistakenly using the leaf as toilet paper in the bush. The terrifying tree contains one of the most persistent toxins known to man, and burning sensations may continue up to two years after being stung. This may be due to poison retention inside the venomous needles injected upon contact. One researcher discovered that the poison remains viable for up to 20 years. Anaphylactic shock may be induced in even healthy persons, leading Australian forestry departments to issue hazmat grade suits to bush workers in affected areas.

3

New Zealand Tree Nettle

The New Zealand Tree Nettle is one of only two plants in the world that has killed a human just by the unfortunate act of walking into it. The monster plant is an enormous and super toxic tree version of the common stinging nettle, and may grow up to 15 feet tall. The well camouflaged plant is armed with unusually large needles that deliver a potentially lethal and also corrosive neurotoxin upon the slightest contact. Great caution when hiking is critical to preventing deaths. In one tragic documented case, a New Zealand Hunter was killed after brushing one of these terror nettles, causing nervous system shutdown through the acute venom effects. If death does not occur right away, potentially deadly polyneuropathy, a degenerative breakdown of nervous system pathways may occur over time.

2

Spurge Laurel

While Giant Hogweed scares with its alien appearance, we look at an unassuming plant with small, glossy leaves that may be commonly found in ornamental gardens and public grounds. Spurge Laurel is closely related to the Bay Leaf, but this woody mini-shrub offers one of the dreadful deaths in the Plant Kingdom. Containing powerful biocides, Spurge Laurel will cause blistering and irritation if cut or handled carelessly, but it is internally that it wreaks its havoc. Consumption of even a couple berries will result in major internal bleeding and organ failure, with death imminent within several hours. Interestingly, some tribes have used Spurge Laurel as a drug of last resort for seriously infected patients, but the cure may be worse than the disease. Wild Greenfinches can eat it without suffering any harm.

1

Red Tide Algae

The Red Tide is a terrifying phenomenon that haunts the Earth’s coastlines. At certain times of year, the waters may turn a rust color as thousands of tiny seaweeds known as (Algera pelagius) multiply after mysterious influxes of nutrients, often in combination with temperature changes. The algae is rapidly absorbed by shellfish, and is extremelyneurotoxic. The highly lethal bloom may rapidly paralysis limbs, and even worse, it anesthetizes the respiratory pathways upon exposure through contaminated shellfish. The Red Tide is considered to be the basis of the Biblical Plague where the waters turned to blood, and was noted to have caused the death of one of Captain George Vancouver’s crew upon the navigation of Western Canada. States and provinces have been closed to harvesting as a result of “paralytic shellfish poisoning” threats. In addition to human victims, entire beaches have been covered dead seabirds and ducks that were exposed to the toxic algae. Red Tide just might explain some of the mysterious animal deaths noted on a recent list.

Richard Everett is a hazardous plant control expert and environmental education writer based in Canada. He divides his free time between extreme birdwatching and raising awareness of Giant Hogweed poisoning.

Rangoli

Disease transmitted from animals to humans

A zoonosis is a disease which is transmitted from animals to humans. With nearly 850 known zoonoses, many of which are almost never contracted by humans, there are bound to be many that we are unaware of. Besides entry number four, this list presents a number of fairly unknown zoonotic disease which, although rare, still infect hundreds or thousands worldwide each year. Each entry includes a brief rundown of symptoms, risks and treatment, as well as providing small factoids about the pathogen itself.

10

Cat Scratch Disease

As the name suggests, the humble cat is the main carrier of Cat Scratch Disease. Transmitted through a scratch or bite, symptoms including painful regional and lymph node swelling and papules, which typically appear within one to two weeks of infection—although they can take up to to eight weeks to manifest. The majority of cases resolve themselves over time and do not require medical treatment with antibiotics, although in individuals with weak or compromised immune systems, such as children and sufferers of HIV, treatment is essential to prevent abscesses, pneumonia and even comas.

9

Barmah Forest Virus

Endemic only to Australia, barmah forest virus is a non-fatal mosquito borne pathogen which is closely related to the equally non-fatal, but more common, ross river virus. The majority of individuals who contract barmah forest virus demonstrate no symptoms whatsoever, but in those who do the virus manifests itself within two weeks with a mild fever, headaches, lethargy, rashes and painful arthritis and swelling—particularly of the wrists and ankles. All of these symptoms, barring arthritis which can continue for up to six months or more, resolve themselves without treatment within a couple of weeks. Although relatively harmless, in susceptible individuals barmah forest virus has been known to cause Guillain–Barré syndrome or kidney inflammation, both of which can be fatal.

8  Orf

Carried almost predominately by sheep, orf is contracted when the virus comes into contact with cuts or abrasions on the skin. If normal wound infections procedures are followed, medical care should be unnecessary as there are no major complications which can arise from the disease. The main symptoms of orf are red papules or lesions at the site of infection.

7

Bang’s Disease

With varying infection rates worldwide, Bang’s disease, or brucellosis, is a bacterial disease commonly contracted through the consumption of unsterilized and contaminated milk or meat from infected cattle, sheep, pigs or goats. It may also be contracted through cuts which come into contact with the bodily fluids of an infected animal. Symptoms arise within one month and initially include flu like symptoms such as fever, headaches, back and joint pain as well as fatigue. If left untreated Bang’s disease can lead to heart infection and liver abscess—both of which can lead to death—and also lasting symptoms similar to chronic fatigue syndrome. In pregnant women the disease can also cause miscarriages and birth defects.

6

Cryptosporidiosis

Unlike many of the entries on this list, cryptosporidiosis can not only be frequently transmitted from animal to humans, but also from human to human. All infections result from the consumption of contaminated food or water. With an incubation period of up to ten days, the cryptosporidiosis parasite lives within the intestines of it’s host and can cause acute symptoms in the majority of patients, which can last up to two weeks. Symptoms include stomach cramps, vomiting, nausea, fever and dehydration. Treatments often target the symptoms rather the the parasite itself, and as long as one remains hydrated there should be few, if any, major complications. In patients with a compromised immune system, however, hospitalization is often required to prevent death from chronic dehydration.

5

Toxocariasis

Caught from contact with the infected feces of dogs, cats and foxes, toxocariasis is a parasite whose eggs can remain dormant within a host for up to two years before hatching. Once born, toxocariasis typically takes up residence in the intestines and cause moderate headaches, coughs and stomach cramps as well as a high fever should the parasite decide to relocate to an individuals organs. In rare cases the pathogen may infect the hosts eyes, leading to blurry vision and severe irritation, which if left untreated can lead to permanent blindness.

4

Rabies

Probably the most well known entry on this list, rabies is of particular interest today as it’s no longer considered a total death sentence. Contracted through the bites and cuts from infected animals, rabies has an unpredictable incubation period followed by a rapid onset of destructive neurological symptoms, which eventually lead to death as the virus induces brain dysfunction. However in recent years the so called ‘Milwaukee Protocol’ has rose to prominence by saving around 8% of unvaccinated patients it has been used upon. That may seem low, but for a virus that once had a 100% mortality rate it is promising. During the Milwaukee protocol a patient with rabies is forcibly put into a drug induced coma and provided with high doses of antivirals. How exactly this technique works is unknown, although it is thought that by shutting down large portions of the brain it both prevents the brain dysfunction which typically kills, as well as providing more time for an individuals immune system to combat the virus.

3

Pahvant Vally Plague

Native to North America, Pahvant Vally Plague, or tulaermia, is a potentially fatal bacterial disease primarily transmitted from rabbits to humans via ticks and lice. One can also contract the disease by consuming contaminated food or water, or handling infected animal corpses. With an average incubation period of three to five days, many who have been infected are often surprised by the rapid onset of debilitating symptoms, which generally include a high fever, severe headaches, extreme weakness, lethargy, diarrhea, arthritis, chills, swollen lymph nodes and eyes as well as ulcers within the mouth or on the skin. Pahvent Vally Plague is considered a medical emergency which requires immediate treatment with antibiotics to prevent death from either dehydration, pneumonia or suffocation—resulting from respiratory depression caused by pahvant valley plague.

2

Black Fever

The severest form of leishmaniasis, black fever is a parasitic disease contracted from female sand fly bites in tropical and temperate regions of the globe. Infecting up to half a million people annually, and killing an estimated 50,000 of those, black fever is the deadliest human parasite known to man after malaria. With a untreated mortality rate of 100%, black fever’s symptoms are similar to to that of malaria—which often leads to a fatal misdiagnosis. Patients experience a high fever, blackening of the skin, ulcers, weakness, fatigue and anemia as well as spleen and liver enlargement. If left untreated black fever generally begins to attack the hosts immune system, which leaves the individual open to opportunistic infectious agents—many of which can cause pneumonia leading to death.

1

Q Fever

With a single colony hypothetically able to infect the entire human race, Q Fever is considered one of the most infectious agents known to man, as only a single Q Fever bacterium is required to be present for an individual to contract the disease. Although rarely transmitted from human to human (predominantly via sexual contact), the pathogen is far more commonly passed from livestock and domestic mammals to humans through contact with their bodily fluids—including milk, excrement and semen (There is a high rate of Q Fever amongst zoosexuals and zoophilies). Symptoms typically take up to three weeks to manifest and include, amongst others, a high fever, photophobia, extreme headaches and excessive sweating. Although there is a high risk of complications, including life threatening pneumonia and hepatitis, swift treatment with powerful antibiotics leads to a survival rate of over 90%. Antibiotic treatment for Q Fever typically has to be continued for months, or even years if necessary, as every single bacterium has to be eliminated fro the body to prevent relapse. There is typically less then a thousand Q Fever cases worldwide per year, and there is little threat of the bacteria mutating into something more powerful. Despite this, Q Fever is classified as a Class B bioterror agent due to it’s infectious and incapacitating nature.

lawyer's jokes

Chicken Mushroom Soup

Ingredients for Chicken Mushroom Soup Recipe

Chicken – 100g(minced) Spring onion – ¼ cup(chopped) Garlic – ½ tsp(crushed) Mushroom – ½ cup(finely chopped) Butter – 1 tsp Chilly sauce – 1 tsp Chicken stock – 2 tbsp Sugar – A pinch Corn flour – 1 tsp Egg white – 1 no(beaten) Celery – 1 tsp(finely chopped) White pepper powder – As reqd Salt – As reqd Preparation Method of Chicken Mushroom Soup Recipe 1)Melt butter in a pan and fry the garlic. When the raw smell goes add the chicken and chopped spring onion. Fry for 2 minutes 2)Add chilly sauce, chicken stock, mushroom, salt and sugar. Cook in a low flame till done. 3)Mix corn flour in 1 tbsp of water and add to the boiling mixture. 4)Pour the soup immediately into serving bowl. Pour the egg white slowly into the soup to form thin threads like noodles. 5)Garnish the chicken mushroom soup with celery and pepper powder. Serve hot.

Thought for the Day

“It is better to look ahead and prepare
than to look back and regret.”

~ Jackie Joyner-Kersee
(1962-)

---

---

Jacqueline “Jackie” Joyner-Kersee (born March 3, 1962) is a retired American athlete, ranked among the all-time greatest athletes in the women’s heptathlon as well as in the women’s long jump. She won three gold, one silver, and two bronze Olympic medals, in those two events at four different Olympic Games. Sports Illustrated for Women magazine voted Joyner-Kersee the Greatest Female Athlete of the 20th century, just ahead of Babe Didrikson Zaharias.

HTC Desire P and Q

HTC’s new budget Desire phones have finally been outed. Both entry level models, the Desire P and Desire Q look set to do battle with a string of rival budget handsets in emerging markets over the next few months.

The Desire P is the more impressive effort, packing a 4.3-inch screen, along with a decent 8-megapixel camera and Beats Audio for impressive tune access on the move. There’s a dual-core 1GHz processor under the hood, as well as ample SD card support for stashing movies and music.

By contrast, the Desire Q rocks a smaller 4-inch panel, but still comes with Beats tech and SD expansion. It’s expected to undercut the Desire P when it hits shelves in China.

HTC has been riding a critical wave in recent weeks thanks to the success of its new flagship phone, the HTC One. The company has also changed its marketing approach, pledging to spend more in an attempt to gain ground on rivals such as Samsung and Apple, which have been surging ahead in recent months.