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By Pdb

Lancashire, United Kingdom Gb

A friend gave me this and we don't know what it is. Can anyone help please. Thank you



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It looks very like the Actaea spicata, baneberry, that I've got in the garden.

18 Jun, 2013

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Thanks very much. Has it already flowered and how tall does it grow?

19 Jun, 2013

 

It grows 30 to 60cm tall also it is an extremely poisonous plant. Despite this, it was used in the past in herbal medicines. It is also grown as an ornamental plant in gardens.
The berries contain cardiogenic toxins which can have an immediate sedative effect on human cardiac muscle tissue, and are the most poisonous part of the plant. Ingestion of the berries can lead to cardiac arrest and death. The berries are harmless to birds, the plants' primary seed dispersers.
I found this info on...... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actaea_spicata. Jackie :o)

19 Jun, 2013

 

Don't worry about the toxicity.

In 1903, Mrs Alice E Bacon deliberately ate increasing numbers of berries to see how bad the poisoning was. She concluded that 12 berries might kill a child but 'the taste is most nauseous, bitter, puckery; indeed, several even more drastic adjectives might be applied with perfect truth.'

I've never found any case reports of poisonings.

20 Jun, 2013

How do I say thanks?

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