Botanist warns: Blogger is decorating food with poisonous flowers

The vegan blogger has posted several images showing the toxic flowers on or near food. Photo / Instagram, Marie Reginato

A TV botanist has revealed that a popular vegan blogger has been decorating her food with poisonous flowers in Instagram photos.

James Wong, who regularly appears on CountryFile, said on Twitter that flowers decorating a fruity pink chia seed pudding in a viral photo were highly toxic and could cause vomiting.

Though he didn't name the blogger, FEMAIL Food&Drink can reveal the photo was originally posted on Instagram by San Francisco-based cookbook author Marie Reginato, who has 74,000 followers.

Her Instagram feed reveals she has decorated several dishes with the toxic flowers, which are PaperWhite Narcissus blooms.

Wong, who grew to prominence with his TV show How To Grow Your Own Drugs, said of the chia seed pudding photo to his 66,000 followers on Twitter: "Another day, another 'clean eating' Instagramer posting images of toxic flowers on food.

"It may not contain dairy or gluten *gasp* but it does contain the toxic plant alkaloid, lycorine.

"Symptoms: Itching, swelling, (and in quantity) nausea, vomiting & convulsions."

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Taking in any form of sunshine I can get my hands on! 🙌🏻 And if it ain’t coming from the sun, then it’s coming from my mango smoothie bowl!😂 I’m nearly done with the @cleanprogram and I’ve had tons of questions about the program. So today I’ll be sharing my experience with the three week elimination diet for ya on Stories ☺️ And if you have any specific questions, feel free to DM before the afternoon! I’ll do the Stories after lunch ❤️ The recipe for today’s smoothie blend: 1 cup mangos 1/2-3/4 cup almond milk 1 Vanilla protein pack by @cleanprogram Handful of unsweetened coconut flakes 👌🏻 These flowers are purely for decoration, they’re not edible ❤️ * * * * #goop #huffposttaste #feedfeed #beautifulcuisines #todayfood #eeeeeats #realfood #sanfrancisco #foodphotographer #foodphotography #wholefoods #foodstyling #onthetable #thatsdarling #f52foods #foodwinewomen #healthyish #tastemade #qapital #buzzfeedhealth @foodandwine @thekitchn #healthyfoodshare #cleanfoodshare #iamwellandgood #realfood #eattheworld #smoothie #smoothiebowl #mango

A post shared by Marie - Healthy Chef (@marie.reginato) on Jan 23, 2018 at 8:15am PST

Wong did not reveal the type of flower on the chia seed pudding, but other botany enthusiasts identified it as flowers of the Paperwhite Narcissus plant, a member of the daffodil family.

They are toxic to both animals and humans and all parts of the plant are poisonous, though the bulbs are the most toxic part.

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, eating them can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and convulsions.

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Home cooked breakfast making me swoon this morning 😍 Made this coconut quinoa porridge with caramelized banana coins and I will probably never eat another bowl of oat porridge ever again! 😂 Seriously so unexpectedly good, I can’t get over it 😍 So much lushness from the coconut cream, perfect sweetness from those banana coins and I added an extra drizzle of @latourangelleartisanoils NutriBlend oil for some extra healthy fats ☺️ If you’ve never tried quinoa porridge, I highly recommend it! The recipe is up on Stories if you want to make this beauty over the weekend! ✌🏻Also, @latourangelleartisanoils is offering a 30% discount with the code: HEALTHY for the NutriBlend oil! Such a great supplement oil to experiment with as a topping on your meals 👌🏻 #partner #latourangelleartisanoils These flowers are purely for decoration, they’re not edible ❤️

A post shared by Marie - Healthy Chef (@marie.reginato) on Jan 19, 2018 at 7:52am PST

The Novia Scotia Museum confirms they are toxic, and says that if a human eats one, it can cause "dizziness, diarrhea, nausea, and pain. Convulsions and death may occur if enough has been eaten."

It hasn't stopped Reginato, the author of the Alternative Vegan cookbook, from decorating several of her dishes with them for photos on Instagram.

It is not known however if she has only used the flowers for decoration, or if she intended to consume them.

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Raspberry and cream smoothie layered with a pomegranates and cream smoothie 😍 I could just eat this allll.day.long I tell ya 🙌🏻 I’m one week into the @cleanprogram and when breakfast and dinner look something like this, you know you’re bound to have a good day 😍 I’ve had a bunch of questions about the @cleanprogram and I’ll go ahead do a little IG stories about it when I’m home from LA in a few! Also, I’m here in LA for my cookbook singing @chevaliersbooks tonight at 7pm! If you’re free come stop by,would absolutely love to see you! And I have energy balls for ya 🤗 These flowers are purely for decoration, they’re not edible ❤️ * * * #goop #huffposttaste #feedfeed #beautifulcuisines #todayfood #eeeeeats #realfood #sanfrancisco #foodphotographer #foodphotography #wholefoods #foodstyling #onthetable #thatsdarling #f52foods #foodwinewomen #healthyish #tastemade #qapital #buzzfeedhealth @foodandwine @thekitchn #healthyfoodshare #cleanfoodshare #iamwellandgood #realfood #eattheworld #fruit #smoothie

A post shared by Marie - Healthy Chef (@marie.reginato) on Jan 17, 2018 at 8:41am PST

James used the photo as a warning to his followers not to eat a plant that isn't a staple ingredient if you're not sure if it's safe.

He wrote: "If you are not 100 per cent sure something is edible, just don't eat it.

"If it's a staple eaten for centuries which you don't have a diagnosed medical intolerance or allergy to, it's probably safe".

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Home cooked breakfast making me swoon this morning 😍 Made this coconut quinoa porridge with caramelized banana coins and I will probably never eat another bowl of oat porridge ever again! 😂 Seriously so unexpectedly good, I can’t get over it 😍 So much lushness from the coconut cream, perfect sweetness from those banana coins and I added an extra drizzle of @latourangelleartisanoils NutriBlend oil for some extra healthy fats ☺️ If you’ve never tried quinoa porridge, I highly recommend it! The recipe is up on Stories if you want to make this beauty over the weekend! ✌🏻Also, @latourangelleartisanoils is offering a 30% discount with the code: HEALTHY for the NutriBlend oil! Such a great supplement oil to experiment with as a topping on your meals 👌🏻 #partner #latourangelleartisanoils These flowers are purely for decoration, they’re not edible ❤️

A post shared by Marie - Healthy Chef (@marie.reginato) on Jan 19, 2018 at 7:52am PST

Several of her followers have highlighted that the flowers are poisonous in comments on her photos.

FEMAIL has asked Reginato for comment.