Holly is a popular Christmas decoration. It is an evergreen bush, producing clusters of small red, hard berries. If left to grow, it can become a tree. According to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, holly is poisonous if more than three berries are eaten. Symptoms include severe nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Holly's scientific name is Ilex aquifolium.
Yew is an evergreen bush with pine like needles. It produces soft mushy berries with a dark seed. While suitable as a decoration, it is highly toxic and deadly, according to Ethnobotanist Marcus Harrison. The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia states that yew causes vomiting, dizziness and breathing difficulties. Yew's scientific name is Taxus baccata.
Bittersweet, or Solanum dulcamara, is a vine with thick coarse wood-like stalks, used to make privacy fences. The flowers are purple with back curling petals. It is also known as woody nightshade. This vining plant produces oval berries, which start out as green and ripen to red. The American Bittersweet produces various ailments, according to Harrison and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Pokeweed is a bush-like plant, with reddish stalks that can grow to about 5 feet tall. The berries grow in clusters, similar to grape clusters. The berries turn from white to green to red to dark purple when fully ripe. Pokeweed is also called "inkberry" because the ripe berries stain you fingers a dark purple when squeezed. Pokeweed is inedible, causing headaches, diarrhea and pain. Pokeweed's scientific name is Phytolacca Americana.