Wikipedia Trail: Hellebore to Herbicidal Warfare

Hellebore - I changed my iPhone background to one of the default flower wallpapers. I was interested in what type of flower it was. It turns out that the picture I chose is of a hellebore which is a poisonous flower native to Europe and Asia

Siege of Kirrha - Apparently, in 585 BC, during the Siege of Kirrha in the the First Sacred War in Greece, hellebores were used to poison the water supply of the city. This is one of the earliest instances of chemical warfare

Chemical Warfare - Chemical warfare has been around almost as long as war itself has been waged. The pinnacle of chemical warfare is most likely the devastating mustard gas attacks during the First World War

Herbicidal Warfare - This is a specific type of chemical warfare in which neither people are not the direct targets of the attack. Rather, the attacker attempts to destroy the enemies crops using herbicides in an attempt to cripple war efforts. This was a common tactic used by the United States during the Vietnam War.

Hellebores. Source: Home Depot