Beyond a dark, sinister-looking gate in northern England’s Alnwick Garden grow beautiful plants—many of which can kill you. Alnwick’s Poison Garden is home to 100 plant species that produce a range of deadly toxins—poisonous chemicals made by living things. A bite of their berries, a brush with their leaves, or a sniff of their flowers could make a person dangerously ill.
“All plants have some sort of chemical or physical defenses against animals that want to eat them or diseases that could infect them,” explains Dan Brown, a biologist at Cornell University in New York. Physical defenses could be things like prickly thorns or hard, armor-like bark. “The chemical defenses are very often toxins,” says Brown.
A spooky-looking black gate stands in northern England’s Alnwick Garden. Behind it, beautiful plants grow. Many of them can kill you. Alnwick’s Poison Garden is home to 100 plant species that produce different deadly toxins. These are poisonous chemicals made by living things. A bite of their berries or a brush with their leaves spells danger. Even a sniff of their flowers could make a person extremely ill.
“All plants have some sort of chemical or physical defenses against animals that want to eat them or diseases that could infect them,” explains Dan Brown. He’s a biologist at Cornell University in New York. Physical defenses could be things like prickly thorns or hard, armor-like bark. “The chemical defenses are very often toxins,” says Brown.