Duranta erecta highly toxic

DURANTA erecta or Duranta repens, a rather popular shrub or sometimes pot plant, is widely popular for its lovely flowers and very decorative berries. However, it can be deadly if eaten. Because of that, it is not a plant to cultivate in the presence of children, dementia patients, or pet animals. In Australia alone it has been known to have caused the deaths of six puppies and a cat, as well as some captive parrots and finches, and three other dogs have become seriously ill.

Duranta erecta’s toxic properties have been known since late in the 19th Century when a two-year-old boy was killed in Queensland, Australia, after eating the berries. Today, in Australia at least, its label always carries a warning of its toxicity.

The common name for the plant is Golden dewdrop, or sometimes Skyflower. The plant has spines or sharp edges, so exercise extreme caution when handling. It can grow up to 18 ft high in the right sub-tropical climate or in cooler areas is ideal in shrub gardens. It gets its name from the attractive golden berries that hang in bunches rather like grapes. The flowers can be white or purple depending on the cultivar, and the leaves can be variegated.

Golden dewdrop is a native to scrub and woodlands areas of the West Indies and Central and South America, as well as Florida. It has also become common in Texas.

The toxic ingredient in the plants are the Saponins in the fruits and foliage, which cause gastroenteric irritation, drowsiness, fever, nausea, vomiting, and convulsions. Dermatitis sometimes occurs from handling the plants.