Eco-Consciousness for Poisonous and Injurious Plants Among Urban Dwellers of Bhubaneswar, Orissa

A model survey was conducted in a cosmopolitan city, to evaluate the eco-consciousness for poisonous and injurious plants grown in courtyards; yielded poor response among urban dwellers. People have the opinion that house gardens are meant for aesthetic purpose; medicinal utility, pollution abatement, use of plant parts for worship and the adverse effect caused by plants (if any) has secondary importance. The paper records 20 poisonous plants from 10 families, commonly grown in house gardens of Bhubaneswar, Orissa, unknown to the people that they are poisonous.