The following picture and message below are currently being sent around the world. Is this a hoax chain letter email message – or are there elements of truth to this story?
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Dear all; Please read below.
The message is true. I almost lost my daughter who put a piece of the leaf of this plant in her mouth and her tongue swelled to the point of suffocation. This is one plant but there are others with the same characteristics of colouring. Those are also poisonous and we should get rid of them.
Please watch out for our children. As we all leave our children home in the hands of the helpers, we should give them a safe environment where they can play.
"This plant that we have in our homes and offices is extremely dangerous! This plant is common in Rwanda, Uganda in plant nurseries, many offices and homes. It is a deadly poison, mainly for the children. It can kill a kid in less than a minute and an adult in 15 minutes. It should be uprooted from gardens and taken out of offices. If touched, one should never touch one’s eyes; it can cause partial or permanent blindness.
Please alert your buddies
Are the facts in this chain letter email (see above) true?
Poisonous plant experts from Life is a Garden offer the following evaluation:
All Dieffenbachia species are poisonous. The very acrid sap, released on chewing the stems causes great irritation to the mouth, lips and tongue. Swelling causes difficulty in breathing and swallowing. The tongue is rendered immobile, hence the family of plants (Dieffenbachia species) is often known by their common name, dumb canes. Death is due to asphyxiation.
The dieffenbachia is regarded as being on the top ten list of ‘poisonous plants’ in South Africa.
Domestic cases on record suggest that the sap is so acrid that in most recorded cases a toddler spits the leaf out and it is not fatal. This notwithstanding, dieffenbachias should never be grown in containers in a home where young children have access to them.
Kay Montgomery
Life is a Garden
