Poisonous Plant Name Generator

Toxic flora names, real and invented, for gardens and fiction

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Generate poisonous plant names drawn from real toxic flora like belladonna, monkshood and manchineel, old folk names such as Dead Men's Bells, and original invented species for fantasy worlds, potion-making and dark fiction.

About poisonous plant names

Poisonous plants have always carried two sets of names. Botanists know them by Latin binomials like Atropa belladonna, named after Atropos, the Fate who cuts the thread of life. Country people knew the same plant as dwale, banewort, devil's cherries or naughty man's cherries, names that warned children away from the shiny black berries. This generator pulls from both traditions, plus the common names used in field guides (deadly nightshade, water hemlock, doll's eyes) and the ordeal poisons and arrow poisons of Africa, Asia and South America.

The folk names follow recognisable patterns that you can borrow for invented species. Many attach the plant to the devil, death or witches: devil's trumpet, dead men's bells, witch's gloves. Others describe the victim or the symptom: cowbane, lambkill, staggerwort, wolfsbane, fool's parsley. A third group hides menace behind prettiness, like angel's trumpet or lily of the valley, which is exactly why they work so well in fiction.

The invented names here follow those same rules so they sit naturally beside the real ones. Use them for a poisoner's garden, an herbalism or alchemy system in a tabletop game, a dark fantasy bestiary of flora, or an unsettling plant in a horror story.

How to choose poisonous plant names

  • For fiction, pair a pretty first word with a grim second one (Pale Sister, Silent Trumpet, Mourner's Veil) so the name itself hints that the plant is not what it seems.
  • Use real folk-name formulas to build believable invented species: [victim]bane, [symptom]wort, Devil's [object], [occupation]'s [object], as in Hound's Ruin or Hangman's Ivy.
  • If you need a scientific-sounding name, put a Latin-flavoured genus before a lowercase species epithet (Corvinara lethalis) and keep the epithet descriptive of colour, habitat or effect.
  • Match the plant to its habitat: marsh and fen names (Drowner's Cress, Fenwidow) read differently from alpine ones (Frostbane Moss) or forest ones (Tomb Ivy), and readers will notice.
  • Check real names before using them in a product or garden label. Several here (Queen Anne's Lace, periwinkle, rue) are also names of harmless or edible plants and can mislead.

Frequently asked questions

Are the plant names in this generator real?

Many are. Deadly nightshade, monkshood, manchineel, gympie-gympie and the Latin binomials are real species. Others, like Widow's Lantern or Gravebell, are invented in the style of historic folk names for fantasy and fiction. The intro and tips explain how to tell them apart and how to build your own.

Can I use these for a D&D herbalism or poison-crafting system?

Yes. Invented names such as Hushberry, Throatlock Sedge and Slumberbane are ideal ingredient names, and real ones like wolfsbane and hemlock give your setting a grounded feel. Mix a few of each so players can never be sure which plants are safe.

Why do so many poisonous plants have pretty or holy names?

Folk names were often given by people who admired the flowers or used the plant medicinally in tiny doses. Angel's trumpet, lily of the valley and lords-and-ladies are all toxic despite their names, and that contrast is a useful trick when naming a fictional plant.

What makes a poisonous plant name sound convincing?

Two-word compounds with an earthy second element (wort, bane, root, cap, bell, vine, moss) feel like something a villager would say. Avoid over-the-top words like 'doom' in favour of quieter menace: Quiet Columbine is scarier than Doomflower.

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All 500 poisonous plant names

This is the complete list the generator above draws its random batches from, sorted A to Z and grouped by first letter.

Plain text, one name per line.

A: 19 names

  • Abrus precatorius
  • Aconite
  • Aconitum napellus
  • Actaea pachypoda
  • Adenium
  • Adonis vernalis
  • Aethusa cynapium
  • Ageratina altissima
  • Amaryllis
  • Andromeda
  • Angel's Trumpet
  • Antiaris toxicaria
  • Arum Lily
  • Ashen Nightcap
  • Ashwidow
  • Asthma Weed
  • Atropa belladonna
  • Autumn Crocus
  • Azalea

B: 49 names

  • Baneberry
  • Banewort
  • Barbados Nut
  • Barbed Lily
  • Be-Still Tree
  • Bead Tree
  • Bear's Foot
  • Beaver Poison
  • Belladonna
  • Belladonna Lily
  • Bikh
  • Bindweed
  • Bitter Almond
  • Bitter Nightshade
  • Bitterbell
  • Bitterhollow Vine
  • Bittersweet
  • Bitterweed
  • Black Bryony
  • Black Locust
  • Black Nightshade
  • Blackmilk Spurge
  • Blackvein Orchid
  • Bleak Poppy
  • Bleakroot
  • Bleeding Heart Vine
  • Blightcap
  • Blisterwort
  • Blood Lily
  • Bloodflower
  • Bloodroot
  • Bloodthorn Briar
  • Bloody Fingers
  • Blue Rocket
  • Bluebell
  • Bog Laurel
  • Bone Orchid
  • Borrachero
  • Boxwood
  • Bracken Fern
  • Brimstone Briar
  • Brugmansia
  • Brugmansia arborea
  • Buckeye
  • Bulbous Buttercup
  • Burweed
  • Bush Lily
  • Buttercup
  • Butterfly Weed

C: 60 names

  • Calabar Bean
  • Calico Bush
  • Canada Moonseed
  • Candlenut
  • Cankerbloom
  • Caper Spurge
  • Cardinal Flower
  • Cardinal Spear
  • Carolina Jasmine
  • Carrion Lily
  • Castor Bean
  • Celery-Leaved Buttercup
  • Cerbera
  • Cerbera odollam
  • Cestrum
  • Cherry Laurel
  • Chinaberry
  • Chokecherry
  • Chokevine
  • Choking Jasmine
  • Christmas Rose
  • Cicuta virosa
  • Cinderleaf
  • Cinerea dolorosa
  • Clematis
  • Climbing Lily
  • Clivia
  • Clotbur
  • Cocklebur
  • Coffin Clover
  • Colchicum autumnale
  • Cold Comfort
  • Columbine
  • Comfrey
  • Conium maculatum
  • Conker Tree
  • Convallaria majalis
  • Coral Bean
  • Corkwood
  • Corn Lily
  • Corpsecandle
  • Corpseflower Thistle
  • Corvinara lethalis
  • Cow Parsnip
  • Cowbane
  • Coyote Tobacco
  • Crab's Eye
  • Creeping Buttercup
  • Creeping Candlewick
  • Crinum
  • Crotalaria
  • Croton
  • Crowfoot
  • Crowfoot Lantern
  • Crown of Thorns
  • Crypt Moss
  • Cuckoo Pint
  • Curare Vine
  • Cycas revoluta
  • Cypress Spurge

D: 39 names

  • Daffodil
  • Daphne
  • Daphne mezereum
  • Datura
  • Datura stramonium
  • Dead Bride
  • Dead Man's Fingers
  • Dead Men's Bells
  • Deadly Nightshade
  • Deadmarsh Reed
  • Death Camas
  • Death's Herb
  • Deathwatch Daisy
  • Delphinium
  • Dendrocnide moroides
  • Desert Rose
  • Devil's Apple
  • Devil's Cherries
  • Devil's Helmet
  • Devil's Snare
  • Devil's Trumpet
  • Dieffenbachia
  • Dieffenbachia seguine
  • Digitalis purpurea
  • Dirge Thistle
  • Dizzy Maiden
  • Dog's Mercury
  • Dogbane
  • Doll's Eyes
  • Dreamless Poppy
  • Drimia
  • Drowner's Cress
  • Drownwort
  • Drowsy Maiden
  • Duboisia
  • Dullheart Daisy
  • Dumb Cane
  • Dusk Lantern
  • Dwale

E: 6 names

  • Eel-Grass Nightshade
  • Elephant Ear
  • Ember Nightshade
  • English Ivy
  • Euphorbia
  • Euphorbia tirucalli

F: 16 names

  • Fairy Thimbles
  • Fallen Sister
  • False Hellebore
  • Fenwidow
  • Fetterbush
  • Fever Laurel
  • Fiddleneck
  • Flame Lily
  • Floripondio
  • Fool's Parsley
  • Foxglove
  • Frangipani
  • Friar's Cap
  • Frostbane Moss
  • Frostwidow
  • Funeral Bells

G: 22 names

  • Gagroot
  • Gallows Bloom
  • Gelsemium sempervirens
  • Ghostberry
  • Ghostcap Mallow
  • Ghoul's Garlic
  • Giant Hogweed
  • Gloom Ivy
  • Gloriosa superba
  • Glory Lily
  • Goatweed
  • Goblin Gloves
  • Golden Chain Tree
  • Golden Rain
  • Grave Saffron
  • Gravebell
  • Gravedigger's Clover
  • Gravewax Plant
  • Grimcap
  • Grinning Cap
  • Groundsel
  • Gympie-Gympie

H: 30 names

  • Hagthorn
  • Hangman's Ivy
  • Hangman's Jasmine
  • Hawaiian Baby Woodrose
  • Heavenly Blue
  • Hellebore
  • Helleborus niger
  • Hemlock Rose
  • Hemlock Water Dropwort
  • Hemp Dogbane
  • Henbane
  • Heracleum mantegazzianum
  • Herb of Beelzebub
  • Hermit's Lantern
  • Hexweed
  • Hippomane mancinella
  • Hog's Bean
  • Hollow Bell
  • Hollow Saffron
  • Hollowroot
  • Holly
  • Honey Locust
  • Horse Chestnut
  • Horse Nettle
  • Hound's Ruin
  • Houndstongue
  • Hunter's Regret
  • Hushberry
  • Hyacinth
  • Hyoscyamus niger

I: 6 names

  • Indian Aconite
  • Indian Hemp
  • Indian Poke
  • Indian Tobacco
  • Ironwidow Vine
  • Ivy

J: 6 names

  • Jack-in-the-Pulpit
  • Jamestown Weed
  • Jatropha curcas
  • Jequirity Bean
  • Jessamine
  • Jimsonweed

K: 5 names

  • Kalmia latifolia
  • Kentucky Coffeetree
  • Kingcup
  • Kingsbane
  • Klamath Weed

L: 22 names

  • Labrador Tea
  • Laburnum
  • Laburnum anagyroides
  • Lambkill
  • Lantana
  • Lantern Hemlock
  • Larkspur
  • Last Lullaby
  • Leafy Spurge
  • Lenten Rose
  • Leopard's Bane
  • Lesser Celandine
  • Lethe sanguinea
  • Lich's Ladder
  • Lily of the Valley
  • Lobelia
  • Locoweed
  • Locoweed Datura
  • Lords and Ladies
  • Lucky Nut
  • Lupine
  • Lupinus argenteus

M: 36 names

  • Mad Apple
  • Mad Honey Shrub
  • Madagascar Periwinkle
  • Madwort
  • Manchineel
  • Mandragora officinarum
  • Mandrake
  • Marrowmoss
  • Marsh Marigold
  • Marsh Widow
  • Meadow Saffron
  • Mescal Bean
  • Mezereon
  • Milkvetch
  • Milkweed
  • Mireberry
  • Mirthless Myrtle
  • Miser's Gold
  • Mistletoe
  • Mole Plant
  • Monk's Blood
  • Monkey's Dinner Bell
  • Monkshood
  • Moonflower
  • Moonrot Bloom
  • Moonseed
  • Morbidus vesperi
  • Morning Glory
  • Mortifolia hushwood
  • Mortuary Mallow
  • Mountain Laurel
  • Mournbloom
  • Mourner's Veil
  • Murkroot
  • Musquash Root
  • Mute Orchid

N: 10 names

  • Naked Lady
  • Narcissus
  • Naughty Man's Cherries
  • Nerium oleander
  • Nettlewidow
  • Nicotiana
  • Night Jasmine
  • Nightmare Hyacinth
  • Nightmare Laurel
  • Nightweaver's Bloom

O: 8 names

  • Oathbreaker's Bloom
  • Oenanthe crocata
  • Old Man's Beard
  • Oleander
  • Ololiuhqui
  • Ordeal Bean
  • Ornithogalum umbellatum
  • Owlbane

P: 30 names

  • Pale Gallows Orchid
  • Pale Sister
  • Pallid Foxcap
  • Pasqueflower
  • Pauper's Foxglove
  • Pencil Cactus
  • Periwinkle
  • Petty Spurge
  • Physic Nut
  • Physostigma venenosum
  • Phytolacca americana
  • Pieris
  • Pieris japonica
  • Pituri
  • Plagueflower
  • Poacher's Parsley
  • Poinsettia
  • Poison Hemlock
  • Poison Ivy
  • Poison Oak
  • Poison Parsnip
  • Poison Sumac
  • Poison Vetch
  • Pokeweed
  • Pong-Pong
  • Precatory Pea
  • Pride of India
  • Privet
  • Pukeweed
  • Purging Nut

Q: 3 names

  • Queen Anne's Lace
  • Queen of Poisons
  • Quiet Columbine

R: 14 names

  • Ragwort
  • Rattlebox
  • Raven's Parsley
  • Ravenrose
  • Red Sage
  • Red Squill
  • Red Whisper
  • Rhododendron
  • Rhododendron ponticum
  • Ricinus communis
  • Rosary Pea
  • Rotfern
  • Russian Knapweed
  • Rust Lily

S: 55 names

  • Sable Clover
  • Sacred Datura
  • Sago Palm
  • Sallow Wort
  • Sandbox Tree
  • Sanguinaria canadensis
  • Scarlet Hush
  • Scopolia
  • Scorchvine
  • Sea Mango
  • Sea Onion
  • Senecio jacobaea
  • Sepulcra noctiflora
  • Serpent's Cradle
  • Seven Sorrows
  • Shadowgrass
  • Sheep Laurel
  • Sickle Fern
  • Silent Trumpet
  • Silentia marina
  • Skunk Cabbage
  • Sleeping Maiden
  • Slowdeath Creeper
  • Slumberbane
  • Smokeweed of the Fen
  • Snakebloom
  • Sneezeweed
  • Snow on the Mountain
  • Snowdrop
  • Solanum dulcamara
  • Sorcerer's Berry
  • Sorrow Saffron
  • Sorrowroot
  • Sour Trumpet
  • Spider Lily
  • Spotted Cowbane
  • Spreading Dogbane
  • Spurge Laurel
  • Squill
  • St. John's Wort
  • Star of Bethlehem
  • Starving Lily
  • Stillheart Lily
  • Stillwater Reed
  • Stinging Tree
  • Stingmoss
  • Stinking Hellebore
  • Stinking Nightshade
  • Stinkweed
  • Stranglewort
  • Strychnine Tree
  • Strychnos nux-vomica
  • Suicide Tree
  • Sullen Iris
  • Sun Spurge

T: 21 names

  • Tallow Lily
  • Tansy Ragwort
  • Taxus baccata
  • Tearleaf
  • Tenebris amara
  • Texas Mountain Laurel
  • Thevetia peruviana
  • Thornapple
  • Thornsleep
  • Thornwidow
  • Throatlock Sedge
  • Toadcrown
  • Toloache
  • Tomb Ivy
  • Toxicodendron radicans
  • Traveler's Joy
  • Tree Datura
  • Tree Tobacco
  • Tulip
  • Tung Tree
  • Twilight Hemlock

U: 3 names

  • Umbrania pallens
  • Upas Tree
  • Urginea maritima

V: 8 names

  • Venenaria serpens
  • Venomvine
  • Veratrum
  • Veratrum album
  • Vinca
  • Viper's Lace
  • Virgin's Bower
  • Virginia Creeper

W: 27 names

  • Warlock's Beard
  • Wartweed
  • Water Dropwort
  • Water Hemlock
  • Weeping Hemlock Fern
  • Weeping Widow
  • Whisperbane
  • White Bryony
  • White Snakeroot
  • Widow's Lantern
  • Widowgrass
  • Wild Arum
  • Wild Calla
  • Wild Cherry
  • Wild Grape Lookalike
  • Wild Parsnip
  • Wild Sage
  • Wild Tobacco
  • Windflower
  • Wisteria
  • Witch's Gloves
  • Witch's Kiss
  • Wolfsbane
  • Wood Anemone
  • Woody Nightshade
  • Wraithweed
  • Wyrmtongue Nettle

Y: 4 names

  • Yellow Jessamine
  • Yellow Oleander
  • Yellow Star Thistle
  • Yew

Z: 1 name

  • Zigadenus venenosus