Girona Hiker Seriously Ill After Eating Europe’s Most Toxic Plant

A man was rescued yesterday and is said to be in a serious condition after mistakenly ingesting what is commonly believed to be the most toxic plant in Europe.

On Friday, June 16, an unnamed man who was hiking in Girona, Catalonia, had to be rescued by emergency services after he ate a plant called blue anapelo, writes 20 Minutos.

Just after 6:00 pm yesterday, Catalonian firefighters were called to the scene at the Àliga peak in Queralbs, situated in the Pyrenees, after a man called to say he was ill and in difficulty.

A statement from the emergency team stated on Twitter: ‘Yesterday, [Catalonian firefighters] rescued a hiker at pic de l’Àliga, Queralbs (at 18.12h). The person alerted us that he was dizzy, with vomiting, and when [we] arrived we saw that he had difficulties moving, little radial pulse and a pale blueish skin colour at the extremities.’

They also went on to say that together with the Catalunya Medical Emergencies Team he was monitored and urgently evacuated, first to the Josep Trueta Hospital in Girona, from where he was transferred to the Vall d’Hebron Hospital in Barcelona.

The man had ingested blue tora, which is considered the most toxic plant in Europe. The tweet concluded with a warning: ‘Beware! Blue celery should not be confused with wild celery. When in doubt, be cautious.’

The poisonous plant is found in the mountainous areas of Europe and goes under many different names, sometimes called common monkshood, devil’s habit, blue-flowered wolfsbane, or tora in Catalan.

The plant can grow up to one metre or more and comes with large attractive blue or purple flowers. The whole plant, from its roots to the seeds, is highly toxic and even small amounts can often prove fatal with just 2mg being enough to cause the death of an adult human.