1 / 13

Poisonous Plants, Fungi, and Algae

Poisonous Plants, Fungi, and Algae. IV - Poisonous Plants. A few Poisonous Plants. Dumb cane – calcium oxalate crystals. Yew (Taxus spp) - taxines. Pokeweed. Poke - Phytolacca americana. Roots and seeds especially toxic

ethel
Télécharger la présentation

Poisonous Plants, Fungi, and Algae

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Poisonous Plants, Fungi, and Algae IV - Poisonous Plants

  2. A few Poisonous Plants

  3. Dumb cane – calcium oxalate crystals

  4. Yew (Taxus spp) - taxines

  5. Pokeweed

  6. Poke - Phytolaccaamericana • Roots and seeds especially toxic • Young stems and leaves often eaten as cooked greens - should be avoided? • Toxic compound - phytolaccigenin - triterpene saponins • Also contains toxic alkaloids and other glycosides

  7. Oleander - Nerium oleander contains cardiac glycosides - oleandroside and nerioside

  8. Castor bean - Riccinus communis

  9. Ricin • One of the most potent natural toxins known • One seed can kill a child • Inhibit protein synthesis by specifically and irreversibly inactivating eukaryotic ribosomes • A single ricin molecule that enters the cytosol can inactivate over 1,500 ribosomes per minute and kill the cell • Lots of possible medical applications - could also be used in biological warfare - weapon of mass destruction • http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic889.htm

  10. Cycads • Cycads are gymnosperms with a palm-like appearance • They are found in tropical and subtropical areas of the world • Large female cones with large seeds

  11. Cycad toxins • Cycasin and BMAA (beta-methylamino-alanine) • Cycasin is a carcinogenic and neurotoxic glycoside • BMAA is an unusual amino acid which is also neurotoxic and believed to act by mimicking glutamate and blocking glutamate receptors in the brain

More Related