[hyrix]

These chemicals are derived from plants where even pedants would classify them as poisons.

The genus name Boophone is from the Greek bous = ox, and phontes= killer of, a clear warning that eating the plant can be fatal to livestock.

[cluckindan]

Huh, so telephone is killer of distance and Persephone is killer of… Persians? Grain? Vegetation?

[stared]

You're mixing up phōnē (voice) and phonos (slaughter), but the truth about Persephone is actually more metal.

Her name predates Greek contacts with Persians, so the timeline doesn't fit. Instead, it comes from perthein (to destroy) + phonos, making her the "Bringer of Destruction". With a caveat that the etymology of her name is uncertain: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persephone#Name

I do like "killer of distance" for telephone, though. :)

[icyfox]

Fair point about the source, but the classification usually follows the mode of delivery, not the organism of origin.

Many plant-derived compounds function as venoms once introduced into the bloodstream (arrow coatings, darts, etc.), even if they’re also toxic when ingested. Curare is one example of a plant-based compound - lethal in blood, but largely harmless if eaten.

So while Boophone is absolutely a poison in the ecological sense, using it on arrows still fits the venom/toxin distinction better than a purely ingested poison. Otherwise why would people hunt with this if they got sick the second they ate the meat?

[jeltz]

Is it really? We call it poison darts when hunters use poison from the poison dart frog to hunt.