The deadliest flower in the world is a lifeline to farmers—and the planet.

National Geographic

Pyrethrum contains a potent chemical that is made into an environmentally friendly insecticide. Photos by Vito Fusco

GILGIL, KENYA–The deadliest flower in the insect world is soft to the touch. Each morning in the hills above Kenya’s Great Rift Valley, the white petals of the pyrethrum plant become laden with dew. To the people who pick them, the flower is utterly harmless. But bugs beware: Its yellow center contains a natural toxin that can kill them in seconds.

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