Edible or not? Alicia Silverstone's misstep shows how toxic lookalikes can fool you
Aug. 21, 2024, 7:47 p.m.
Read time estimation: 4 minutes.
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Alicia Silverstone raised concerns this week after sharing a TikTok video of herself tasting a poisonous berry she discovered while walking in England. The “Clueless” star thought the fruit resembled a tomato but realized her mistake after a few bites revealed a peculiar, peppery flavor.
This tomato look-alike seems to have been a Jerusalem cherry (Solanum pseudocapsicum), which, like tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, potatoes and tomatillos, belongs to the Solanaceae, or nightshade, family. While the fruits (and potato tuber) of these plants are safe for consumption, their foliage can be toxic.
If you are unsure about the edibility of something, please refrain from consuming it.
All parts of Jerusalem cherry, commonly sold as a houseplant, are poisonous to both humans and animals, including dogs, cats and horses, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The plant’s unripe berries can be particularly dangerous, causing central nervous system and gastrointestinal problems, such as delirium, abdominal pain, fever, vomiting, paralysis and more.
Ingesting large quantities can be lethal. Silverstone was fortunate because, she states, she did not swallow the berries, and possibly because the berries were reddish-orange, indicating ripeness.
The poisonous Carolina horsenettle (Solanum carolinense) fruit also resembles tomatoes. Its common name, devil’s potato, is a clear warning.
Other members of the nightshade family are poisonous to varying degrees. The aptly named deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), for example, is so toxic it was used as a murder weapon during the Middle Ages. Its berries, however, could be mistaken for blueberries. Pokeweed and Virginia creeper fruits also resemble blueberries, and both can be fatal if ingested.
Lilies, which are toxic, bear a striking resemblance to edible onion and garlic grasses, especially when they first emerge.
Those edible wild onion and garlic grasses, which emerge in lawns and uncultivated areas in spring, have dangerous look-alikes too, including death camas (Toxicoscordion nuttallii), a frequent cause of livestock poisoning that is also hazardous to humans.
Misidentifying carrots and parsley can also lead to trouble. Simply touching wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa), which bears carrot-like flowers and parsley-like leaves, can cause photodermatitis, a blistering sun sensitivity that can persist for a year. And consuming poison hemlock (Conium maculatum), which appears similar but grows much larger, can result in respiratory failure.
Creeping buttercup, a persistent, invasive weed that bears a striking resemblance to flat-leaf parsley, can cause severe stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, irregular heartbeat, and other serious health issues.
And the lethal Canadian moonseed (Menispermum canadense) can be mistaken for wild grape (Vitis spp.). However, its intensely bitter taste is likely to make you spit it out, which is fortunate, as ingesting it can lead to seizures and death.
If you suspect you have mistakenly ingested a poisonous plant, contact a poison control center immediately at www.poison.org or 1-800-222-1222.
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Jessica Damiano contributes weekly gardening columns to the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter . You can subscribe here to receive weekly gardening tips and advice.
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For more AP gardening news, visit https://apnews.com/hub/gardening .