A jungle is a wild place where dangerous species thrive in dense thickets. It is always bursting with life a complex feral life competing for survival. But did you know that animals are not the only dangerous residents of a jungle?
In the deep and thick forest lies a fair share of pretty but dangerous jungle plants. Dangerous Beauty is not a metaphor in jungle life. It is a prevalent reality.
Plants, like most living organisms, have their own natural defenses. They are often hidden in strikingly beautiful and colorful flowers. Some of them lie in unpresuming fruits. Underneath these beauties and pretentious edibility lie toxic chemicals that are unforgiving for animals, insects, and even humans. Some jungle plants sprout to kill!
You can find hundreds of jungles scattered across the globe. Each of them has personalities that are distinct from their locality. Wildlife thriving in the forest differs across the region. Here are some of the dangerous jungle plants you should know about:
The Suicide Plant: Gympie-Gympie (Dendrocnide Moroides)
If you are not a very keen explorer, the Gympie-Gympie will appeal to you just like any ordinary berry brush. It has wide leaves that usually have a deep green hue. The berries are bright purple like most wild berries. The only difference is the translucent hair that covers the stem and leaves of the plant.
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It contains a toxic substance moroidin that can kill insects, birds, or animals that ingests them. It is also fatal when it comes to contact with humans. If you are lucky to live, you will suffer its painful effect for up to a year!
This stinging brush is native to the rainforests of Northern Australia and India. Accordingly, it creates pain so excruciating that it can drive a person mad.
The Sweet Slayer: Oleander (Nerium Oleander)
Every inch of the Oleander spells trouble. Even a tiny percentage of any of its parts is enough to kill an animal that ingests it. The smoke from burning twigs and leaves can cause cardiac abnormalities. In most cases, this leads to nowhere else but death.
Today, people cultivate this plant for ornamental purposes because of its beautiful cluster of white, yellow, red, and pink blossoms. But even its flowers contain toxic substances. When bees use their nectars, the honey created from them will also turn poisonous.
The Nerium Oleander is mostly surviving in temperate and subtropical jungles. Some of their species are present in the Mediterranean region, Asia, and the Arabian Peninsula.
The Most Poisonous Plant: Castor Oil Plant (Ricinus communis)
For something medically beneficial, the Castor bean holds a dark side. They are an effective treatment for wounds and have laxative properties. Castor oil is also present in some of our foods, soaps, and cosmetic products. The problem is, when a castor seed is broken down, it produces a toxic substance called ricin.
Ricin is more poisonous than venoms and cyanides. Traces of ricin lace its beautiful leaves and pom-pom flowers. The Castor bean is so deadly that the Guinness World Records named it the Most Poisonous Plant in the world. It can cause gastrointestinal disturbances and cell death.
The castor plant is grown domestically as ornamental plants. But they are also abundant in the jungles of India, Eastern Africa, and the Mediterranean Basin.
The Infamous Carnivore: Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula)
When you think of dangerous jungle plants, the Venus Flytrap would probably get into your mind. They are the creepy-looking flowers with trigger hairs that resemble sharp teeth. This plant is pretty smart for a carnivore. When something lands on its petals, it will not automatically trap the foreign object until after few successive movements.
It is to ensure that the prey is edible and not just some sort of unwanted debris. They may be harmful to smaller insects, with ants as their favorites. But rest assured that these dangerous jungle plants do not feed on humans!
Venus Flytraps are rampant in the wilds of North and South Carolina. However, these plants are facing the danger of extinction. It is partly due to habitat destruction and harvesting them for ornamental reasons. Today, the National Wildlife Federation considers adding the Venus flytrap in its list of endangered species.
The Unpredicted Predator: The Pitcher Plant (Nepenthes truncata)
If Venus Flytrap is unmerciful to bugs and insects, the Pitcher Plant is more ruthless to bigger animals. These uncanny killers cannot hide the evidence. Thus, they were caught red-handed for murdering rats.
As the name suggests, its body forms a deep pitcher. It is deep enough that prey will not be able to climb back up if they fall into the trap. Then the plant will drown the animal and dissolve it with its digestive enzyme. But their enzymes do not digest bones, hence, the shreds of evidence in their bodies.
The pitcher plant is endemic in a tropical rainforest-like the Philippines. They are perhaps one of the most dangerous jungle garden plants for rodents and smaller animals.
The Sly Flower: Hammer Orchid: (Drakaea Glyptodon)
