Tales of a Technogypsie

The Poison Garden, Blarney Castle, Ireland The Poison Garden:Blarney Castle, Ireland * 021-4385252 * vwww.blarneycastle.ie * One of the most intriguing features of the castle grounds of Blarney Castle for a scientist is the castle’s “Poison Garden”. A collection of plants embracing the world’s most deadliest toxins, one can walk amongst danger and see, smell, [...]

Cherry Laurel The Poison Garden, Blarney Castle, Ireland Cherry Laurel: Prunus laurocerasus [ Plantae: Magnoliophyta: Magnoliopsida: Rosales: Rosaceae: Prunus: Prunus laurocerasus ] Common Names: Cherry Laurel, English Laurel Localities: Native to regions bordering the Black Sea in southwestern Asia and southeastern Europe, from Albania to Bulgaria east through Turkey and Iran. It is a invasive [...]

Vitus agnus – Chastus – Chaste tree The Poison Garden, Blarney Castle, Ireland Chaste Tree: Vitex agnus-castus [ Plantae: Angiosperms: Eudicots: Asterids: Lamiales: Lamiaceae: Vitex: Vitex agnus-castus ] Common Names: Vitex, Chaste Tree, Chasteberry, Hemp tree, Abraham’s Balm, Chaste Lamb-Tree, Safe Tree, monk, or Monk’s Pepper Localities: Native of the Mediterranean region; woodlands of southern [...]

Oleander The Poison Garden, Blarney Castle, Ireland Oleander Nerium oleander [ Plantae: Angiosperms: Eudicots: Asterids: Gentianales: Apocynaceae: Apocynoideae: Wrightieae: Nerium: Nerium oleander ] Common Names: Oleander Localities: Commom from Morocco to Portugal eastward into the Mediterranean and throughout southern Asia to Yunnan and southern China. Species: Description: The Oleander tree is a poisonous evergreen shrub [...]

Poison Ivy/Oak The Poison Garden, Blarney Castle, Ireland Poison Ivy Toxicodendron radicans [ Plantae: Angiosperms: Eudicots: Rosids: Sapindales: Anacardiaceae: Toxicodendron: Toxicodendron radicans ] Common Names: Localities: Poison Ivy grows throughout North America, in the United States and through Quebec, Ontario, and Manitoba of Canada as well as the mountainous regions of Mexico. Species: Its similar [...]

Veratrum album, White helleborene The Poison Garden, Blarney Castle, Ireland White Hellebore Veratrum album [ Plantae: Angiosperms: Monocots: Liliales: Melanthiaceae: Veratrum: Veratrum album ] Common Names: Bearsfoot, stinking hellebore, sabadilla, European Hellebore, Weisse Niesswurz, False Helleborine, White Veratrum Localities: White Hellebore is common throughout Europe, Lapland to Italy but does not occur in the British [...]

Foxglove Foxglove Digitalis L.; common names: ‘Witches’ Gloves’, ‘Fairy’s Glove’, ‘Gloves of Our Lady’, ‘Virgin’s Glove’, ‘Fairy Caps’, ‘Folk’s Glove’, ‘Fairy Thimbles’, ‘fairy-folks-fingers’, ‘lambs-tongue-leaves’, ‘bloody fingers’, ‘deadman’s bells’. Taxonomy: Kingdom: Plantae; Angiosperms; Eudicots; Asterids; Lamiales; Plantaginaceae; Digitalis L.; several species including: Digitalis cariensis; Digitalis ciliata; Digitalis davisiana; Digitalis dubia; Digitalis ferruginea; Digitalis grandiflora; Digitalis laevigata; [...]

Rhubarb The Poison Garden, Blarney Castle, Ireland Rhubarb Rheum rhabarbarum [ Plantae: Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Polygonaceae: Rheum: R. rhabarbarum ] Common Names: Localities: Grown throughout the world in heated greenhouses, it is a common vegetable all over. Species: Description: Rhubarbs are a popular herbaceous perennial plant that grows up from short thick rhizomes sprouting with [...]

Black Cohosh The Poison Garden, Blarney Castle, Ireland Black Cohosh Cimicifuga racemosa, Actea racemosa [ Plantae: Magnoliophyta: Magnoliopsida: Ranunculales: Ranunculaceae: Actaea: Cimicifuga racemosa, Actea racemosa ] Common Names: black cohosh, black bugbane, black snakeroot, macrotys, bugbane, bugwort, rattleroot, rattleweed, or fairy candle Localities: North America; extreme south of Ontario south to central Georgia; west to [...]

Deadly Nightshade The Poison Garden, Blarney Castle, Ireland Deadly Nightshade Atropa belladonna [ Plantae: Angiosperms: Eudicots: Asterids: Solanales: Solanaceae: Atropa: Atropa belladonna ] Common Names: Nightshade, Deadly Nightshade, Atropa, Belladonna, divale, dwale, banewort, devil’s cherries, naughty man’s cherries, black cherry, devil’s herb, great morel, and dwayberry. Localities: Native to Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia. [...]

Common Box The Poison Garden, Blarney Castle, Ireland Common Box Buxus sempervirens [ Plantae: Magnoliophyta: Magnoliopsida: Buxales: Buxaceae: Buxus: Buxus sempervirens ] Common Names: Common Box, European Box, Boxwood. Localities: It is native to coastal regions especially in western and southern Europe, Northwest Africa, southwest Asia, from southern England south to northern Morocco and east [...]

Wolfsbane The Poison Garden, Blarney Castle, Ireland Wolfsbane Aconitum vulparia [ Plantae: Angiospermae; Eudicots; Ranunculales; Aconiteae; Family: Ranunculaceae: Genus: Aconitum: Aconitum vulparia ] Common Names: Wolfsbane, Badger’s Bane, aconite, monkshood, wolfsbane, leopard’s bane, women’s bane, Devil’s helmet or blue rocket. Localities: Alps, Europe. Description: This herbaceous perennial grows naturally in damp woods, in the Northern [...]