"Judith in France" wrote

I will keep my mouth firmly shut Charlie.

Especially when you prune it, unlike my sis-in-law.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
just W. of London

In message , Charlie
Pridham writes
In article 3652a796-716c-451c-b2e2-
,
says...
On Jul 8, 11:41*am, Charlie Pridham
wrote:
In article 1c733797-269f-4296-9fd6-
,
says...

On Jul 8, 8:38*am, echinosum
wrote:
hound;855051 Wrote: Thank you all for your useful answers.
just treat it with respect,

and not lick my fingers after handling it. The local snails
quite

happy to eat it, and a caterpillar is making its cocoon inside a leaf
that it has rolled up!!!

Well there are plenty of wee beasties that can happily eat death-cap
mushroom, but a mouthful is enough to kill a human. But put said wee
beasties in a jam jar with a few crushed laurel leaves, put the lid on,
and they'll soon be dead.

--
echinosum

Does it contain arsenic or some such poison?

Judith

Cherry Laural contains cyanide
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwallwww.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

Oooer!!!!!!!! I get a rash when I cut laurel! I also get a rash
touching borage, juniper and other stuff, hopefully there is nothing
that can be transferred via the hand, i.e. during normal gardening
jobs?

Judith

I think the amounts involved are not that large so you would have to
consume some quantity rather than just come in contact with

Are we still talking about Datura? or have you switched to Prunus
laurocerasus? Datura is highly toxic - in the Nerium/Atropa/Abra/Ricinus
category.
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

Stewart Robert Hinsley wrote:
In message , Charlie
Pridham writes
In article 3652a796-716c-451c-b2e2-
,
says...
On Jul 8, 11:41 am, Charlie Pridham
wrote:
In article 1c733797-269f-4296-9fd6-
,
says...

On Jul 8, 8:38 am, echinosum
wrote:
hound;855051 Wrote: Thank you all for your useful answers.
just treat it with respect,

and not lick my fingers after handling it. The local snails
quite

happy to eat it, and a caterpillar is making its cocoon inside a
leaf that it has rolled up!!!

Well there are plenty of wee beasties that can happily eat death-cap
mushroom, but a mouthful is enough to kill a human. But put said wee
beasties in a jam jar with a few crushed laurel leaves, put the lid
on, and they'll soon be dead.

--
echinosum

Does it contain arsenic or some such poison?

Judith

Cherry Laural contains cyanide
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwallwww.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

Oooer!!!!!!!! I get a rash when I cut laurel! I also get a rash
touching borage, juniper and other stuff, hopefully there is nothing
that can be transferred via the hand, i.e. during normal gardening
jobs?

Judith

I think the amounts involved are not that large so you would have to
consume some quantity rather than just come in contact with

Are we still talking about Datura? or have you switched to Prunus
laurocerasus? Datura is highly toxic - in the Nerium/Atropa/Abra/Ricinus
category.

That's a strange mix of Families and pharmacological class! Atropine is
pretty benign compared to abrin and ricin.

--
Jeff

hound wrote:
Thank you all for your useful answers. I'll just treat it with respect,
and not lick my fingers after handling it. The local snails seem quite
happy to eat it, and a caterpillar is making its cocoon inside a leaf
that it has rolled up!!!

Well, I am still alive, and my Datura is marvellous. Very fragrant.
Thanks everyone.

hound wrote in
o.uk:

hound wrote:
Thank you all for your useful answers. I'll just treat it with respect,
and not lick my fingers after handling it. The local snails seem quite
happy to eat it, and a caterpillar is making its cocoon inside a leaf
that it has rolled up!!!

Well, I am still alive, and my Datura is marvellous. Very fragrant.
Thanks everyone.

I'm pretty sure when I was a kid living in Malaya, that Datura was used as
a kind of hemp or cannabis drug by the natives. Memory may be wrong though.

--
The above post may contain traces of irony

In message , Tunku
writes
hound wrote in
news:seqdnaRsMqG5tAHXnZ2dnUVZ8i9i4p2d@brightview. co.uk:

hound wrote:
Thank you all for your useful answers. I'll just treat it with respect,
and not lick my fingers after handling it. The local snails seem quite
happy to eat it, and a caterpillar is making its cocoon inside a leaf
that it has rolled up!!!

Well, I am still alive, and my Datura is marvellous. Very fragrant.
Thanks everyone.

I'm pretty sure when I was a kid living in Malaya, that Datura was used as
a kind of hemp or cannabis drug by the natives. Memory may be wrong though.

Datura stramonium is sometimes used as a recreational drug. This doesn't
alter the fact that it is one of the most toxic plants around.
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

Ragnar wrote:
According to Wikipedia it is potentially fatal IF INGESTED, so touching the
plant should not be harmful. If you have pets be sure to pick up fallen
leaves. If it sets seed pods remove them at once.

Best of luck. Let us know if you survive.

R.

"hound" wrote in message
o.uk...
newish here - so after some sensible advice. I know Datura is poisonous -
but how poisonous? I'm not going to be eating it!!!!, but do I have to
wash my skin if I touch it by mistake, or is it not so dangerous? Thanks,
people.


But the juice is pretty nasty if it gets on the skin.

Lovely scent and good for attracting bees.

--
Rusty

Rusty Hinge writes
Ragnar wrote:
According to Wikipedia it is potentially fatal IF INGESTED, so
touching the plant should not be harmful. If you have pets be sure
to pick up fallen leaves. If it sets seed pods remove them at once.
Best of luck. Let us know if you survive.
R.
"hound" wrote in message
news:I5GdncfIPsKx8M7XnZ2dnUVZ8iOdnZ2d@brightview .co.uk...
newish here - so after some sensible advice. I know Datura is
poisonous - but how poisonous? I'm not going to be eating it!!!!,
but do I have to wash my skin if I touch it by mistake, or is it not
so dangerous? Thanks, people.

But the juice is pretty nasty if it gets on the skin.

Lovely scent and good for attracting bees.

I don't have to wash after pruning Datura, but I did get a rash from
Euphorbia last summer. So for me it's not as irritant as Euphorbia.
(It's not as irritant as bosenberry come to that). But people vary
immensely in what they are sensitive to and to what extent.

Various Daturas are used to produce hallucinogenic effects, so I
wouldn't advise eating it.
--
Kay

Even breathing the scent of Datura can have an effect on the brain.

Euphorbia can be incredibly dangerous. I know one florist who was temporarily blinded after handling it. She still has problems years later.

K wrote:
Rusty Hinge writes
Ragnar wrote:
According to Wikipedia it is potentially fatal IF INGESTED, so
touching the plant should not be harmful. If you have pets be sure
to pick up fallen leaves. If it sets seed pods remove them at once.
Best of luck. Let us know if you survive.
R.

The smell alone is enough to put most people off it. The plant smells
unpleasant when bruised or sap is released. The flowers smell divine in
the late summer evenings which makes them worth growing.

"hound" wrote in message
o.uk...
newish here - so after some sensible advice. I know Datura is
poisonous - but how poisonous? I'm not going to be eating it!!!!,
but do I have to wash my skin if I touch it by mistake, or is it
not so dangerous? Thanks, people.

It is a pretty good idea to wash hands and anything that comes into
contact with it. It is mainly dangerous by ingestion, but I once had a
hint that prolonged skin contact was not such a good idea.

But the juice is pretty nasty if it gets on the skin.

Lovely scent and good for attracting bees.

I don't have to wash after pruning Datura, but I did get a rash from
Euphorbia last summer. So for me it's not as irritant as Euphorbia.
(It's not as irritant as bosenberry come to that). But people vary
immensely in what they are sensitive to and to what extent.

You don't get a rash but you can get light headed from getting the sap
on you. The seeds make a very potent rodent killer in the greenhouse.

Various Daturas are used to produce hallucinogenic effects, so I
wouldn't advise eating it.

The threshold between interesting effects and death is rather narrow
which is why the plant is banned in some jurisdictions.

Regards,
Martin Brown