A 66-YEAR-OLD gardener has been chased out of his garden – by a deadly plant used by Amazon tribes to poison hunting arrows.

William Battye says he is so fearful of the 5ft plant that he is afraid to venture into his garden in Camborne, Cornwall.

The mystery plant is thought to be the poisonous Devil's Snare from South America.

Mr Battye said: "I thought it was a cucumber plant at first. But it started to produce white flowers and I decided to wait and see what happened.

"Then I saw an article about the deadly Devil's Snare in a newspaper, and it matched the plant in my garden.

"I couldn't believe it – it only took a few weeks to grow."

Devil's Snare is thought to have been used as a poison by Amazonian tribes. Just smelling it can cause hallucinations and its poison can also cause blurred vision and heart irregularities, which can be fatal.

Mr Battye has just returned from hospital after having a heart murmur checked out and said he was worried about going into the garden.

He added: "We are concerned, especially because the plant may be attractive to children who want to go and play with it."

Catriona Neil, of Truro-based environmental consultants Spalding Associates, last night confirmed the plant appeared to be a Devil's Snare, a species more commonly known as a Thorn-apple.

She said: "None of the Thorn-apples are native to Britain but turn up occasionally in waste and cultivated ground, having been brought to this country maybe in bird seed.

"This species of Thorn-apple is sometimes called Devil's Snare, a Jimson weed and a number of other names.

"It is a fast-growing annual and, like all Thorn Apples, is very poisonous. It is distantly related to the potato."

Rob Brett, curator at the Eden Project, near St Austell in Cornwall, said: "We haven't seen the plant, but if it is Devil's Snare (Datura stramonium), it is poisonous and therefore we would recommend it be treated with the same caution as any other poisonous plant."