Wicked Plants Quiz 2

Question 1

habanero chile

Answer 1

• varieties of this pepper are the hottest in the world
• hottest may come from Dorset, England
• capsaicin is active ingredient
  
  • does not burn, stimulates nerve endings to send a signal to the brain that mimics burning
  • binds to fats (butter, milk, cheese), alcohol works as a solvent
• Blair’s 16 Million Reserve: pharmaceutical grade hot sauce made of pure capsaicin
• another member of the nightshade family

Question 2

henbrane

Answer 2

• key ingredient in psychoactive potion
• salve of henbane, belladonna, mandrake and other deadly plants, when rubbed on skin, can make you feel like you’re flying
• contains alkaloids
• known for its rank order
• added to beer in the middle ages to make it more intoxicating
• used as risky form of anesthesia from Roman times until the 19th cent

Question 3

iboga

Answer 3

• grows in rainforest in central W Africa
• contains powerful alkaloid called ibogaine
  
  • used to make meds believed to cure heroin addiction, started by Howard Lotsof
• used as ceremonial sacrament in religious ceremonies
• brings on hallucinations & extreme vomiting
• spawned drug tourism
• ibogaine is a Schedule I controlled substance in the US

Question 4

jimson weed

Answer 4

• nickname is Jamestown weed
• found by Jamestown settlers, fed to British soldiers who went crazy for 11 days
• grows in the southwest US
• whole plant contains tropane alkaloids that cause hallucinations and seizures, especially concentrated in the seeds

Question 5

khat

Answer 5

• played a pivotal role in the 1993 battle of Mogadishu
• delivers a clear-headed euphoria that lasts for hours
• huge in Yemen and Somalia
• chew leaves b/w cheek and gum
• most potent ingredient is cathinone, Schedule I narcotic

Question 6

killer algae

Answer 6

• grown in aquariums, waste tossed into the ocean in 1984, first seen in the wild in 1989
• a single-celled organism
  
  • one giant cell that can span over 2 ft in length and grow about .5 in per day
• has feathery fronds, sturdy stems, and tough rhizoids that anchor it to the ocean floor
• doesn’t kill humans, it poisons fish

Question 7

kudzu

Answer 7

• thought that it could control erosion in the South
• brought here from Japan
• gov’t program encouraged use of the vine
• grows up to a ft per day. each vine can grow up to 100 ft
• single root can weigh up to 400 lbs
• efficient at harnessing sun and smothering other plants
• spreads by underground rhizomes and seeds
• covers 7 mmillion acres in the US
• can be eaten: fried kudzu leaves, kudzu blossom jelly, kudzu stem salsa

Question 8

mala mujer

Answer 8

• causes painful rash
• toxic sap and hypodermic needle-like trichomes
• rumored to be a treatment for infidelity in Mexico

Question 9

manchineel tree

Answer 9

• found in the Caribbean and Central American coast
• even rain dripping off the tree can cause rashes and itching
• produces tempting green fruit that tastes sweet but closes the throat
• Captain James Cook encountered it on his voyage

Question 10

mandrake

Answer 10

• in the nightshade family
• long pointed root can grow 3-4 ft long, forked
• looks like a little devilish person
• widely believed that the mandrake shrieked when it was pulled from the ground, so loudly that its screams would kill anyone who heard it
• slipped into wine to make a powerful sedative
• contains alkaloids like atropine, hysoscamine and scopolamine