[Greengage]

This month sees Hellebores in flower in the garden Unfortunately they are pisonous. We have many different varieties, Foetidus meaning stinking because of its smell, Niger because its roots are black, Oderous because it has a smell, and orientalis because it was discovered in the East, and finally Purpurascens because it has a purple colour. You may know many of these by their comon names related to their latin names e.g
H. foetidus is stinking hellebore, H. niger is Christmas rose, H. odorus is fragrant hellebore and sweet hellebore, H. orientalis is the lenten rose, H. purpurascens is purple hellebore.
The roots of all Helleborus are strongly emetic and potentially fatal.They are known to cause vomiting after poisoning which is said to be to be harmful. They are also said to cause diarrhoea and have been known to cause cardiac problems. Prolonged skin contact may cause burning, Hellebores are members of the Ranunculaceae family, therefore they contain protoanemonin which is known to cause skin problems.This usually occurs when you handle the seeds with bare hands.It is advisable to wear gloves when handeling seed.

[Ado 2]

Thank you very much for that information. I was wondering if Rhodedendrens are poisonous to cattle ?

[Greengage]

I was going to keep that until it was in flower but since you ask, All parts are toxic, but here is the thing the most toxic parts are in the pollen and if you eat honey made from nectar collected from Rhododendron it is dark, reddish in colour and known as “mad honey,” also known as deli bal in Turkey, contains an ingredient from rhododendron nectar called grayanotoxin — a natural neurotoxin that, even in small quantities, brings on light-headedness and sometimes, hallucinations. http://modernfarmer.com/2014/09/strange-history-hallucinogenic-mad-honey/
Poisoning is most likly to occur with animals the symptoms often include projectile vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea and constipation, slow heart rate, loss of coordination, falling and exhaustion.Nearlly all animals exhibit all these symptoms but vomiting is unusual in cattle. (Im not a vet and have never seen it Im just passing on the info)
If enough of the foliage is consumed death from respiratory failure is said to occur within hours.
Amazing the things you learn on a daily basis.

[Ado 2]

Wow what a comprehensive explanation. Thank you very much

[Greengage]

While poisoning of animals has occurred it is rare because animals usually do not graze where Rhododendron is grown and because they prefer grass if it is available. There are a number of cases of poisoning of farm animals and there has been talk of zoo animals being poisoned because visitors feed them leaves taken from Rhododendrons growing in the zoo grounds. Rhododendron Leaves are also used crushed in jars for killing insects like butterflies for mounting. I wont say its humane probably organic in that its not chemicals but then again where are they synthesised from.

[Blowin]

Reverting to the first post, aren't ranunculus the buttercup family?

Also poisonous to animals, basically horse species, is sycamore seed. Local man lost a donkey mare and pony mare over one night. There wasn't really enough to eat so they hoovered up what WAS available, i.e. the sycamore seeds, and that was that. When I asked him about it, he thought they were elms - or ellums as he pronounced it.

I amazes me round here, at the terrible lack of knowledge we grew up with. To light a bonfire involves a box of firelighters - no dry stuff out of the hedge. They don't know one bird from another and plant life is equally sketchy.

[Ado 2]

I lived in West Cork once where the us and them was ripe. They put "us " down ,complaining about farmers putting fertiliser bags in the ditch etc We ( me) said well look what you are doing to the Irish Sea Sellafield.... Think on .., You have decided to live here, ignorance of stuff is ripe in any land

[Greengage]

Yes buttercups can be found in the Ranunculus family along with Aconitum and Delphinium and Clematis along over 600 other species. http://www.theplantlist.org/browse/A/Ranunculaceae/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranunculus

[Greengage]

I was talking to a chap recently who was planting a Laurel hedge and was thinking of planting a Laburnum but decided against the tree as it was deadly Pisonious, I told him Laurel was also a very pisonious plant to have in the garden.The leaves and fruit pips contain cyanolipids that are capable of releasing cyanide and benzaldehyde. Which has the characteristic smell of almonds associated with cyanide. This is noticable if you ever shred the leaves, The crushed leaves of Laurels can used to kill insects in a sealed jar. Which makes them easier to mount if that is what your into. There have been cases of people getting very sick from eating the berries mistaking them for blackberries. There is also a famous case of murder in the 1700s in Ireland where a chap was murdered when his rose water was replaced with water from distilled leaves of Laurel, it was only the smell of Almonnds from the container that helped convict him. So remember if you are shredding Laurel do not do so in an enclosed shed you may not walk out and no one will ever know what happened you. Did i convince him not to plant Laurel , No, Sure you see it everywhere and he is right, But sure what would I know.

[medieval knievel]

[Sue Deacon]

[Greengage]

Pagan beliefs were that Yew are shallow rooted and prevent the dead from rising also the roots grow through their eyes and prevent them from seeing, Christianity stole it for its own use planting trees in graveyards. (Pope Gregory in 1600 told me that all pagan sites were to be preserved and used as Christian worship sites )
Yew wood is distinctly red and white, especially when the trunk is freshly cut. The heartwood is red, the sapwood … is white. The colours were used to symbolise the blood and body of Christ.
Sure you could make up your own reason and say its folklore who is to know...
They protect souls on the journey to the underworld, they symbolise rebirth and long life
etc etc...............................

[tagwex]

Pope Gregory told you ..... just how old are you?
Only a few months back you claimed to be a only young fella.

[Blowin]

In reply to the various comments on what I wrote, one of my main reasons for voting 'Yes' to the UK going into the EU was in the hope that we might lose some of our ignorance and arrogance that give us such bad press in other cultures. However, when I find fellow country folk not knowing one bird from another, or which trees they've got, it does seem somewhat odd to me.

On yews in churchyards, another theory is that bows (and arrows) were traditionally made from yew so each community needed to have access to it. Because it was poisonous, the only place animals would never go was the churchyard, so that was where they had their yew trees.

[kindredspirit]

I have two Hi-Fi monitors made specially from Yew. (Castle Howards.)

(Just thought you might like that piece of useless information.)