Like animals and bugs, the plants in Florida serve only one purpose; that is to kill you. Not just you, but your pets, too. Yet, we plant them in our gardens and use them in the city parks.
Oleanders – deadly poisonous native of the Mediterranean;
Castor Bean – a native of Africa that produces ricin;
Rosary Pea – a native from the Old World (wherever THAT is) that produces abrin;
Gloriosa Lily – a native of Africa that produces several toxic compounds like alkaloid colchicine;
King Sago – a poisonous cycad from Japan that produces BMAA and cycasin;
Spotted Water Hemlock – a member of the carrot family that produces nerve poisons
When you create your garden, use native plants for a more balanced yard that attracts pollinators and birds.
Here are some that are in my yard:
- American Beautyberry
- Azalea
- Black-eyed Susan
- Blazing Star
- Coral Honeysuckle
- Elliott’s Aster
- Scarlet Salvia
- Tickseed
If you want to read more on setting up a native landscape, here are some books that I suggest:
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