''Gelsemium elegans'', commonly known as heartbreak grass, is a
poisonous plant
Plants that produce toxins are referred to as poisonous plants. Plants that cause irritation on contact are also described as "poisonous".
The toxins in poisonous plants affect herbivores, and deter them from consuming the plants. Plants cannot ...
of the family
Gelsemiaceae
Gelsemiaceae is a family of flowering plants, belonging to the order Gentianales. The family contains only three genera: ''Gelsemium'', '' Mostuea'' and '' Pteleocarpa''. ''Gelsemium'' has three species, one native to Southeast Asia and southern ...
found in China and other Asian countries. It contains toxic
alkaloid
Alkaloids are a class of basic
BASIC (Beginners' All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages designed for ease of use. The original version was created by John G. Kemeny and Th ...
s such as
gelsemine
Gelsemine (C20H22N2O2) is an indole alkaloid isolated from flowering plants of the genus '' Gelsemium'', a plant native to the subtropical and tropical Americas, and southeast Asia, and is a highly toxic compound that acts as a paralytic, expo ...
,
gelsenicine,
gelsevirine and
koumine.
Crumbled leaves of this plant, surreptitiously added to food, were used in the 23rd of December 2011 poisoning of
Long Liyuan
Long may refer to:
Measurement
* Long, characteristic of something of great duration
* Long, characteristic of something of great length
* Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate
* Longa (music), note value in early music mensur ...
, a magnate of the Chinese timber industry, and perhaps in the 10th of November 2012 poisoning of
Alexander Perepilichny, a Russian financier cooperating with a fraud investigation in London, though the role of the plant in his death has been disputed.
References
Gelsemiaceae
Poisonous plants
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