Coyotillo

This plant is responsible for many deaths in this region. People see the black berries and assume they are safe to eat. However eating th...Read Moree berries causes permanent paralysis and even death among both humans and domesticated animals. Although this plant is dangerous, its considered a medicinal plant in Mexico and sold in herb stores to cure fevers, warts, and corns on the feet. There is a folklore story about the Aztecs using coyotillo leaves to kill the Spaniards, telling them it was oregano and thus blindly, they ate it and perished.

Coyotillo, Karwinskia humboldtiana, is Endemic to Texas.