TOXIC PLANT ORGANISMS FOUND IN THE PHILIPPINES

back to list of plants     

Scientific Name
Rheum X cultorum (R. rhaponticum, R. rhabarbarum)

Common Name
Rhubarb

Family
Polygonaceae

Plant Description
Perennial herb; leaves in basal clumps, large, with thick, reddish petiole, and large, heart-shaped, blades; flowers small, in a dense, elongated, terminal cluster; fruit 3-winged, reddish.

Origin
Asia.

Poisonous Part
Raw leaves; blade of the leaf even after cooking.

Symptoms
Abdominal cramps, burning of mouth and throat, headache, weakness, nausea and vomiting, coma; may be fatal.

Toxic Principle
Anthraquinone glycosides and soluble oxalates, also possibly calcium oxylate crystals.

Severity
Toxic only if eaten in large quanitites