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Humans and animals have eaten from plants and trees for millions of years. But not all plants are safe. Do you know what you can and can't eat?
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Some plants are toxic. These plants will hurt you if you touch or eat them.
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Poison oak is a dangerous plant. It grows in North America. If you touch poison oak, it will make your skin itchy. You might see red spots and a rash on your arm.
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Belladonna grows in Europe, Africa and Asia. If you eat a belladonna berry, you will feel sick. You might become ill. You might throw up or have a bad stomach ache.
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Belladonna means beautiful woman in Italian. Women ate the berries because it made their eyes bigger. They thought they looked beautiful. But it was not safe. That was a long time ago. Nobody does this now.
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Some plants have poison inside like insects. Stinging bush grows in Australia. If you touch stinging bush, little hairs on the leaves will poison you. You might feel a lot of pain in your body where the hairs touched you.
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People who have been stung say it is painful. They say it is like being stung by 30 wasps. They say you cannot escape the pain. It doesn't sound nice!
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Some people are allergic to normal plants and trees. When there is lots of pollen in the air, some people feel ill. They sneeze a lot. They have red eyes.
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This is because of the pollen in the air. This is called hay fever.
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It is important to know which plants are safe. It is important to know which plants are not safe. Don't touch a plant if you don't know what it is.