Within a few weeks, its gawky shoots shoot out of the ground and tower sternly in the air. During the flowering period, they tilt slightly to give the shrub a friendly appearance. To what extent is the innocent appearance deceptive?
Neither the leaves nor the flowers of the ranunculus bush are poisonous, but the seeds have it all
The seeds are toxic
You should not turn to the ranunculus bush or plant it completely undeterred. The flowers, shoots and leaves are not poisonous. But the seeds pack a punch!
- contain cyanogenic glycosides (amygdalin)
- similarly poisonous as bitter almonds
- only larger amounts lead to symptoms of poisoning
- Consumption may cause nausea and vomiting
However, there should be no panic now. Although the seeds are poisonous, consumption rarely leads to death or there are no known cases. Before fatally poisoning yourself with it, the body usually helps itself by getting rid of the semen.
Do not leave seeds unattended!
Of course, you only come into contact with the seeds in the rarest of cases, for example if you want to propagate this plant with the help of its seeds. Then you should not leave the seeds unattended. Children or pets could swallow them!
Cut off the flowers as a precaution
Removing the withered flowers not only saves the plant a lot of energy. This also prevents the possibility that the poisonous seeds can form. So use the scissors after the flowering period and cut off the dried flowers!
tips
In normal handling of the ranunculus you do not need to take any precautions! Skin contact does not usually cause an allergic reaction.