Poisonous Plants Look Like Safe Ones
2024-09-17
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle Report.
2Actor Alicia Silverstone worried fans on social media recently.
3While on a trip to England, she posted a TikTok video of herself tasting a poisonous berry she found along a sidewalk.
4Silverstone, who appeared in the 1995 movie Clueless, said she thought the fruit was a tomato.
5But when she bit into it and found that it had an unusual taste, she realized that it was not the common food.
6Plant expert, Jessica Damiano, recently wrote about poisonous plants that look like common foods for the Associated Press.
7She said the fruit that looked like a tomato appears to have been a Jerusalem cherry.
8Often sold as a houseplant, all parts of the Jerusalem cherry are poisonous.
9The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says the plant is not only harmful to humans but also to dogs, cats and horses.
10Eating large amounts can be deadly.
11Silverstone was lucky because she did not swallow the berries.
12She is also lucky because the berries were reddish orange.
13This means they were ripe. While all parts of the Jerusalem cherry are poisonous, the plant's unripe berries can be especially dangerous.
14They can cause problems with the central nervous and gastrointestinal systems.
15Symptoms from eating the fruit include mental confusion, stomach pain, high body temperature, vomiting, paralysis and more.
16The Jerusalem cherry is a member of the nightshade family.
17It is in the same family of plants that includes tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, potatoes and tomatillos.
18Although the fruits of those crops are safe to eat, their leaves are toxic.
19The Jerusalem cherry is not the only toxic plant that looks like a safe one.
20The poisonous Carolina horsenettle fruit also looks like a tomato.
21However, its common name is a dead giveaway that it is dangerous.
22It is called devil's tomato.
23It is also known as devil's potato to add to the confusion.
24Other members of the nightshade family are poisonous in different ways.
25For example, a plant named deadly nightshade, or belladonna, is so toxic that it was used as a murder weapon in Europe during the Middle Ages, a time more than 500 years ago.
26Its berries, however, could be mistaken for blueberries.
27Pokeweed and Virginia creeper fruits also look like blueberries, and both can be deadly if eaten.
28Lilies are toxic, but they look like edible wild onion or garlic grasses, especially when they first come out of the ground.
29Edible wild onion and garlic grasses have other toxic lookalikes, too -- including a plant sometimes called death camas.
30These plants grow in lawns and wild areas in the spring, and they are a common cause of livestock poisoning.
31They are dangerous for humans, too.
32Toxic carrot and parsley lookalikes can also make you sick.
33Wild parsnip has flowers like a carrot and leaves like parsley.
34Simply touching it can cause a skin problem called photodermatitis.
35It causes sun sensitivity that can last for a year.
36Poison hemlock looks similar but is much larger.
37Eating that plant can lead to breathing problems.
38Creeping buttercup looks like flat-leaf parsley.
39It is an invasive plant that can cause severe stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and heart problems.
40And the deadly Canadian moonseed can be confused with wild grape.
41However, its taste is so bitter that you would likely spit it out before swallowing it.
42This is a good thing because eating it can lead to death.
43If you think you have swallowed a toxic plant by mistake, contact a poison control center in your area or your doctor.
44There is additional information on the website poison.org.
45Damiano advises to use common sense with plants you find in the wild.
46If you are not completely sure that something is food, do not eat it.
47And that's the Health & Lifestyle report. I'm Anna Matteo.
1From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle Report. 2Actor Alicia Silverstone worried fans on social media recently. While on a trip to England, she posted a TikTok video of herself tasting a poisonous berry she found along a sidewalk. 3Silverstone, who appeared in the 1995 movie Clueless, said she thought the fruit was a tomato. But when she bit into it and found that it had an unusual taste, she realized that it was not the common food. 4Plant expert, Jessica Damiano, recently wrote about poisonous plants that look like common foods for the Associated Press. 5She said the fruit that looked like a tomato appears to have been a Jerusalem cherry. 6Often sold as a houseplant, all parts of the Jerusalem cherry are poisonous. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says the plant is not only harmful to humans but also to dogs, cats and horses. Eating large amounts can be deadly. Silverstone was lucky because she did not swallow the berries. 7She is also lucky because the berries were reddish orange. This means they were ripe. While all parts of the Jerusalem cherry are poisonous, the plant's unripe berries can be especially dangerous. They can cause problems with the central nervous and gastrointestinal systems. Symptoms from eating the fruit include mental confusion, stomach pain, high body temperature, vomiting, paralysis and more. 8The Jerusalem cherry is a member of the nightshade family. It is in the same family of plants that includes tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, potatoes and tomatillos. Although the fruits of those crops are safe to eat, their leaves are toxic. 9Other toxic lookalikes 10The Jerusalem cherry is not the only toxic plant that looks like a safe one. 11The poisonous Carolina horsenettle fruit also looks like a tomato. However, its common name is a dead giveaway that it is dangerous. It is called devil's tomato. It is also known as devil's potato to add to the confusion. 12Other members of the nightshade family are poisonous in different ways. For example, a plant named deadly nightshade, or belladonna, is so toxic that it was used as a murder weapon in Europe during the Middle Ages, a time more than 500 years ago. Its berries, however, could be mistaken for blueberries. 13Pokeweed and Virginia creeper fruits also look like blueberries, and both can be deadly if eaten. 14Lilies are toxic, but they look like edible wild onion or garlic grasses, especially when they first come out of the ground. 15Edible wild onion and garlic grasses have other toxic lookalikes, too -- including a plant sometimes called death camas. These plants grow in lawns and wild areas in the spring, and they are a common cause of livestock poisoning. They are dangerous for humans, too. 16Toxic carrot and parsley lookalikes can also make you sick. Wild parsnip has flowers like a carrot and leaves like parsley. Simply touching it can cause a skin problem called photodermatitis. It causes sun sensitivity that can last for a year. Poison hemlock looks similar but is much larger. Eating that plant can lead to breathing problems. 17Creeping buttercup looks like flat-leaf parsley. It is an invasive plant that can cause severe stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and heart problems. 18And the deadly Canadian moonseed can be confused with wild grape. However, its taste is so bitter that you would likely spit it out before swallowing it. This is a good thing because eating it can lead to death. 19If you think you have swallowed a toxic plant by mistake, contact a poison control center in your area or your doctor. There is additional information on the website poison.org. 20Damiano advises to use common sense with plants you find in the wild. If you are not completely sure that something is food, do not eat it. 21And that's the Health & Lifestyle report. I'm Anna Matteo. 22Jessica Damiano reported this story for The Associated Press from New York City. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. 23___________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25ripe -adj. fully developed; ready for harvest 26symptom -n. the sign that disease is present or that something is wrong with a person's health 27confusion -n. being unable to think clearly : confuse -v. 28vomiting -n. the condition of expelling what is in your stomach through your mouth : vomit -v. 29paralysis -n. the loss of the ability to move one's muscles 30toxic -adj. poisonous 31dead giveaway -idiom a fact or detail that makes the true nature of something impossible to ignore 32edible -adj. fit and safe to be eaten 33invasive -adj. tending to spread especially in a quick or aggressive manner: such as 34bitter -adj. one of the major tastes that people have which is very unpleasant to most people 35We want to hear from you. What are your thoughts on this topic? In the Comments section, you can also practice using any of the expressions from the story. Our comment policy is here.