Redoul
Leaves, roots, and bark of the redoul contain large amounts of tannins. The plant has therefore been used for both tanning and dyeing.
The tannins, mixed with iron salts, result in black deposits. Therefore, the juice of the plant has been used to make ink and to dye various textiles black or gray.
Redoul is considered to be one of the most toxic plants in the Mediterranean region. The berries have a high content of the neurotoxin coriamyrtin, and the ingestion of just a few berries can cause convulsions, unconsciousness, and prolonged, life-threatening epileptic seizures.
The berries are ripe from June to September. The ripe berries are black and slightly resemble blackberries. Poisoning with redoul berries has resulted in several deaths among children who believed that the berries were edible.
In Spain, the plant is called emborracha-cabras, which in English means "drunk-goats". The name is due to the behaviour of the goats once they have eaten the plant and have been poisoned
Facts:
- Greenhouse location: Mediterranean House
- Danish name: Myrtebladet garvebusk
- Latin name: Coriaria myrtifolia
- Family: Coriaria family / Coriariaceae
- Natural habitat: The Mediterranean area