Daphne mezereum
Daphne mezereum, the mezereon, is a species of Daphne in the flowering plant family Thymelaeaceae, native to most of Europe and Western Asia, north to northern Scandinavia and Russia. In southern Europe it is confined to medium to higher elevations in the subalpine vegetation zone, but descends to sea level in northern Europe. It is generally confined to soils derived from limestone. In the United Kingdom, the native population became a protected species in 1975 under the Conservation of Wild Creatures and Wild Plants Act.
Description
It is a deciduous shrub growing to tall. The leaves are glabrous, soft, 3–10 cm long and 1–2 cm broad, arranged spirally on the stems. The flowers are produced in early to mid spring on the bare stems just before or as the leaves appear, wreathed along the stems in clusters of two to four from each bud. They are sessile, have a four-lobed pink or light purple perianth 10–15 mm diameter, and are strongly scented. The flowers are self-fertile, able to produce fruit without cross-pollination from a second plant. The fruit is a bright red drupe 7–12 mm diameter ; it is very poisonous for humans, though fruit-eating birds like thrushes are immune and eat them, dispersing the seeds in their droppings.Taxonomy
Two subspecies are accepted by the Plants of the World Online database; they are not considered distinct by the Euro+Med Plantbase, which treats the species as monotypic.- Daphne mezereum subsp. mezereum — throughout the species range
- Daphne mezereum subsp. rechingeri Halda — southeastern Transcaucasus to northern Iran
Etymology
Toxicity
Daphne mezereum is very toxic because of the compounds mezerein and daphnin, present especially in the berries and twigs. If poisoned, victims experience a choking sensation. Handling the fresh twigs can cause rashes and eczema in sensitive individuals. Despite this, it is commonly grown as an ornamental plant in gardens for its attractive, scented flowers.Symptoms of poisoning
Ingestion of plant parts leads within a few hours to severe irritation and a burning sensation in the mouth, with swelling of the lips and face, increased salivation, hoarseness and difficulty in swallowing. These symptoms are soon followed by severe abdominal pain, headache, numbness, nausea and bloody diarrhoea. Children often show additional narcotic symptoms with muscular twitching. Work by Frohne and Pfänder has determined that it is the chewed seed, not the fruit pulp, that is responsible for the severe symptoms in poisoning by the berries.1955 case study involving consumption of flowers
A seven-year-old boy who was admitted to hospital after consuming several flowers of D. mezereum at first exhibited symptoms very similar to acute appendicitis, with headache and abdominal pain....a number of neurologically and psychically striking symptoms developed in the hours that followed: periods of complete disorientation and very severe motor unrest alternated with periods of complete clarity, with tetanoid fearfulness. Towards evening, signs of meningitis and finally generalised convulsions appeared. Very severe diarrhoea then heralded serious enteritis which only subsided after a week.