Beware! This Deadly Plant Looks Exactly Like Candy; Child Sent To Hostpital After Ingesting A Handful

Craig and Stephany Bonney almost lost their 18-month old son, Duncan, after he ate several "red and black beans," which the child likely thought of as candy. As it turns out what Duncan ate were actually rosary beads. 

Beware the Deadly Plant That Kids Mistake for Candy (by Anne Miller) https://t.co/sJIN805GYp

— YahooParenting (@YahooParenting) December 22, 2015

The doctor who treated Duncan has said he "would consider it a serious threat for two reasons. It grows in some areas in the U.S. like Florida, and some other tropical areas. It looks very appealing to kids - it's bright red, it has a rough tip, it looks like candy," according to a story on Yahoo! Parenting.

Young children usually eat anything they see that resembles candy. Parents should be watchful of their kids to make sure that whatever they consume does not have any adverse effects on their health.

Most parents encourage their children to spend a couple of hours a day to go out and play. Some say that the exposure to the sun and physical activity has a lot of health benefits while other parents say that their children will benefit from the social aspect of spending time playing with other kids.

However, parents should still keep an eye on their kids to make sure they do not eat anything they shouldn't. These days, a number of candy manufacturers make their products like fruits such as berries making them resemble their flavor, and look more natural and appealing.

Rosary beads are commonly used in Catholic culture to make jewelry. However, they are also notorious for containing abrin, a substance that has a toxicity level on par with ricin, reported redbook. Ricin has actually been used as a weapon because of it efficacy as a poison.

When ingested whole, rosary beads can cause a stomachache. But it has been though that Duncan chewed one of them, which made the effects more severe. He suffered from high fever and nausea. Luckily, Duncan has survived this horrible ordeal. The Bonney family warns everyone with a young child to keep an eye on them at all times to avoid incidents like this one.