Since Covid squelched along I’ve been zooming with my brothers’ families in the UK. (‘Every cloud – etc.’) During our most recent get-together David, the oldest and wisest of the four of us, informed me that by promoting the propagation of Schizanthus pinnatus, on account of its prettiness and resilience, I might be exposing myself to potential financial and reputational loss. Put simply, Schizanthus pinnatus is poisonous.
I am therefore writing to inform readers, and those who may be influenced by them (including, especially, minors), of the potential dangers inherent in eating large quantities of the seeds of said pretty flower. My intention is, by these means, to indemnify myself against any legal proceedings, real or imagined, the purpose of which is to have the plaintiff(s) benefit materially at my expense based on any of their action related to the growing or propagation of poor man’s orchid.
Schizanthus pinnatus (the botanical name), known colloquially as butterfly flower, fringe flower and poor man’s orchid, is a genus of plants in the nightshade family, solanaceae. It belongs to the subfamily schizanthoideae.
The name schizanthus is from two Greek words meaning ‘divided flower’. The flower head resembles an orchid, a good specimen having quite an exotic appearance. It originates from Chile, where perhaps it is known colloquially as orquídea del pobre or la flor de la mariposa.
The botanical family solanaceae is one of humankind’s most utilized and important food plants. Its members include herbaceous plants, shrubs, trees and vines that grow in temperate to tropical regions. It includes the potato, tomato, all peppers, ground cherries (tomatillo) and eggplant. Solanaceae is also known as the potato or deadly nightshade family.
As well as those foods it includes a suite of deadly toxic plants including belladonna, mandrake, henbane, tobacco, deadly nightshade and Jimson weed.
Jimson weed (known in Orbost and Bacchus Marsh in the State of Victoria as thorn apple) is datura stramonium. It has been used and abused in any number of ways, including smoking of the leaves, eating the seeds, boiling in a stew, or even by soaking in a bathtub filled with the plants. All methods are extremely dangerous as every part of the plant is poisonous and potentially deadly.
The seeds of Jimson weed are long-lived, with one experiment showing 91 per cent of seeds surviving 39 years after burial. (This may be the inspiration for the t-shirt with, on its front, “I’ve got my stuff together, Man -” and, on the back: “- if only I knew where I put it”.)
Several plants in the solanaceae family are rich in potent psychoactive toxic compounds referred to as tropane alkaloids. These compounds include nicotine, solanine, capsaicin, cocaine, atropine, scopolamine and hyoscyamine. These are chemicals that have been used as healing drugs in small doses; misunderstood or abused as addictive drugs; and employed as pesticides and warfare agents (e.g., sarin) when utilized in toxic doses.
Tropane alkaloids are useful as parasympatholytics that competitively antagonize acetylcholine. The bicyclic ring of tropane moiety forms the base of these alkaloids, and the largest number of tropane alkaloids is substituted on the atom C-3 of the tropane ring in the form of ester derivatives. [Synthesis of Tropane Derivatives, Open access peer-reviewed chapter, Abdulmajeed Salih Hamad Alsamarrai, Nov. 2019.]
Toxicity from plants containing tropane alkaloids manifests as classic anticholinergic poisoning. Symptoms usually occur 30-60 minutes after ingestion and may continue for 24-48 hours because of delayed gastric emptying and absorption.
But I digress.
Given the litigiousness of parts of the present human population, I hereby note and declare that, as if by magic, this post on my blogg and on Facebook ensures that I am indemnified against any person who, having seen my recent post about buying $2-00 worth of poor man’s orchid from Bunnings, claims to have been incentivised by said post and its accompanying nice picture to smoke the leaves, eat the seeds either directly or in a stew, or soak in a bathtub full of that plant.
Signed and dated by and on behalf of: Gordon Gregory.