Poinsettias are Not...
This from the Ecke Ranch the Big Boss of all things Poinsettia....

THE POINSETTIA IS NOT POISIONOUS

The widespread belief that poinsettias are poisonous is a misconception. The scientific evidence demonstrating the poinsettia's safety is ample and well documented.

Studies conducted by The Ohio State University in cooperation with the Society of American Florists concluded that no toxicity was evident at experimental ingestion levels far exceeding those likely to occur in a home environment. In fact, the POISINDEX Information Service, the primary information resource used by most poison control centers, states that a 50-pound child would have to ingest over 500 poinsettia bracts to surpass experimental doses. Yet even at this high level, no toxicity was demonstrated.

As with all ornamental plants, poinsettias are not intended for human or animal consumption. Individuals with a sensitivity to latex - the milky fluid found in cut poinsettias and other plants - may experience allergic reactions in the form of a rash or irritation that develops when the skin is exposed to the latex. This has been observed to occur only with people who are allergic to latex and products made from this material. However, the poinsettia has been demonstrated to be a safe plant. In fact, in 1992, the poinsettia was included on the list of houseplants most helpful in removing pollutants from indoor air. So, not only is the poinsettia a safe and beautiful addition to your holiday decor, it can even help keep your indoor air clean!

I'm NOT say that Some MAY get a Recation from them though... Just passing on what the Ecke Ranch has found out With Resurch....

If the spider plant is poisonous would that also be true of 'Fireflash'?
I found on another site that sansevieria were poisonous to cats specifically, which is why I think it isn't commonly listed as poisonous.

ninecrow,
Since Poinsettia is an Euphorbia. I would hold that as suspect. Especially with children & pets around. There are different varieties of poisonous, from mild discomfort, to rash, to vomitting, to death. I have allergic reations to all things Euphorbia. My son who is highly allergic to poison oak gets it ten times worse then I do. He touches an euphorbia and he hets hives all over his body. We have to get out the Benadril & calamine every time.

I learned in Hort101 that Poinsettias are not poisonous. Rather, the cells are like crystals and, when injested, the crystals pierce and irritate the skin causing it to rash and swell. I can cause symptoms similar to anaphylaxis, but not always a guarantee (everyone is different and has different reactions to everything, of course).

I was going to plant Crocus last year until I read it's poisonous. Looking back, I should have. Would have gotten flowers to grow. Stinking squirrels ate all my bulbs, corms and tubers plus dug up all my seeds and seedlings while burying their acorns. Grrrr!

it was said: "Since Poinsettia is an Euphorbia. I would hold that as suspect."

"Poisonous" has varying definitions according to the source posting a list.

In truth, poisonous means toxic and potentially deadly.

The sap of poinsettias and other euphorbs is irritating, not toxic, deadly, nor poisonous.

Condolences for your bunny, and to your son. I'm sad for him.

I'd given my oleander to my girlfriend, once I'd heard it was extremely toxic (deadly) and I didn't want to chance my toddler (or dh!) to it. She let it grow in her kitchen. It grew near 5 feet tall. She also had canaries, and in the spring she set their cage next to oleander so the birds could have more sunshine. One day she woke up to a dead canary in her cage, and a nibbled on oleander leaf within beak's reach of the cage.

I'd once read that sans are good for cleaning the air, but that made them (and other plants that are poisonous, poisonous), because they could hold the toxins within their leaves with no ill effect to the plant - but poisonous to whomever eats it.

Jean,
Please give a source that euphorbias are not toxic. In fact many euphorbias are highly toxic.

All quoted from the below link:

Euphorbia abyssinica is considered poisonous and has been used for homicidal purposes.

E. cooperi, the latex is used to poison fish. Has caused blindness in humans, blisters inside mouth & nose of someone who inhaled the smell of a bleeding plant.

E. ferox - Said to be highly poisonous.

E. drupifera - The latex of this species is very dangerous. It has been used to remove warts and can cause blindness.

E. grantii - Suspected of producing serious irritant poisoning with fatalities.

E. heptagone, E. virosa, E. cereiformis, E. candelabrum, E. mauritanica - The latex of all of these is used to poison arrows.

E. heterophylla - Both leaf and latex are poisonous and have been the cause of a child's death.

E. ingens- Latex of this plant it highly toxic. It will blister the skin. A single drop can cause intense pain and temporary blindness.
Cattle driven through dense bush containing this tree may suffer severe burns on the eyes, lips and facial skin sometimes so severe the animals have to be destroyed.

E. mauritanica - Once again the latex has been used to make poison arrows. This plant has been suspected of causing death in sheep.

E. pulcherrima (Poinsettia) - In recent years there has been a lot of debate over the toxicity of this plant. For as long as I can remember, we were taught that this plant is dangerous. In the past couple of years some commercial sources of Poinsettias have stated emphatically that this is a myth and that the plant is harmless. Other sources including The Medicinal and Poisonous Plants of Southern and Eastern Africa clearly state, "The latex is highly irritant ... in the Netherlands, Indies and Indonesia the bark, leaf and root are regarded as being markedly toxic and in South China the plant is used as a fish poison."

Here is a link that might be useful: Euphorbias poisonous?

According to Toxicity of Houseplants (David G. Spoerke, Jr., and Susan Smolinske, 1990, CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, pp. 133-35):

"Diterpene esters are found in most Euphorbia species, but there is considerable evidence that the quantity of these compounds found in the standard poinsettia sold by greenhouses is quite small or may be nonexistent."

[Mr. Subj.: It would not surprise me at all if commercial poinsettias had lost some of their natural toxicity. They've been heavily inbred and mutated, and there's no selection at work for a more toxic commercial poinsettia, while there could be a slight commercial advantage to producing a less toxic variety. Since poinsettia development has been going on for nearly a century, even if they were dangerous once, I'd bet that they're less so now.]

Also,

"The incidence of skin reactions with poinsettia plants is low, but Mitchell and Rook do cite several authors who have reported cases. Some of the work suggests that poinsettia may be a sensitizing agent. They also cite an unpublished study where the latex, crushed flowers, and bruised leaves were applied to the skin with no irritant effect observed. Morton reports cases of dermatitis, and D'Archy, Rock, and Morton have all reported cases of skin and/or eye irritation."

"In 1987, there were 2611 cases of poinsettia exposure reported to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, and no deaths or major symptoms were seen."

"The data on poinsettia are confusing, but because of the natural variability in the different varieties of this plant, we may never be able to say that the plant is nontoxic in all cases. . . . The exposure data from poison centers would appear to indicate that the plant is low in toxicity and few moderate or severe symptoms should be expected."

Very few of the Euphorbia spp. from the piece quoted by mentha above are common houseplants: the ones I've seen most often are E. trigona, tirucalli, milii and lactea, and these are not necessarily all of equivalent danger. All can cause pain and temporary blindness if sap drips or squirts into the eye (tirucalli in particular), and all may cause skin irritation (though trigona and milii don't seem to be as bad about that), but that's about as far as it goes. I also personally react to E. tirucalli, I found out the other day when I was taking some cuttings at work, though the reaction was limited to a red spot on my arm that didn't really hurt or do anything.

I've been researching plant toxicity in the hopes of writing a post for my blog about it soonish (which is how I happened to have the book), and I haven't run into anything in the Euphorbia family that scares me nearly as much as Adenium obesum, Brugmansia/Datura spp., Lantana camara, Nerium oleander, or Rhododendron spp.

Mr subj,
I agree many other plants are more toxic than Poinsettia, however the above posting was for pets as well as children. While eating a poinsettia will probably not kill a person or animal it is obvious toxic to fish if it is used as a fish poison, so it has to be toxic to something. Neither would I want to risk my child's life on "mildy irritant."

By the way, if we're not limitting this to human toxicity, grapes and onions are *very* bad for dogs. In regards to grapes, I'm not sure if it's just the fruit, or if the leaves do it to, but it apparently causes kidney failure. Onions aren't as immediately dangerous, I guess, but large enough quantities can cause anemia and, IIRC, neurological symptoms? I have no idea how many other people just have grapes growing in their garden, but it's worth keeping an eye on if you've got pets.

After my son became ill I did a lot of research to figure out the WHY. (Futile effort, btw...TORTURE, in fact!)

I read a LOT of nasty stuff about Euphorbia tirucalli, as there seems to be a high incidence of Epstein Barr virus in some African natives who come into contact with that particular plant.

EB virus is responsible for Mononucleosis, which is (or was, at that time) being investigated as being the 'trigger' for my sons' disease.
His girlfriend had Mono just months before his diagnosis...his test for Mono was negative, but I'm still wondering if not a 'false-negative'.

Having Euphorbias in the house for several years, (though not E. tirucalli, specifically) I was concerned, even discussed it briefly on this forum when someone else posted something about us having Euphorbia species in our homes (this was a few years back) but OH BOY, did the 'stuff' hit the fan on that topic!

It's best to just assume that any plant could potentially harm kids and pets and leave them out of their reach.

I don't know why, but none of my 4 kids (including the one who became ill) ever had any interest in touching/eating my plants, but I kept them out of their reach nonetheless.

So sorry to hear about those of you who lost pets to plants.....life is surely full of surprises, and not always favorable ones.

Grapes are chock full of electrolites (don't know if dogs have bad reactions with electrolites) so much, in fact, that you cannot (well you can, but it's not suggested) put grapes in the microwave; they'll catch fire. I watched it on a show, "Food Investigators." Interesting....

Thanks for such a big list of dangerous plants. My boys love my plants. Tough Guy is our "sniffer" and Turbo is our "taster" so I'll just leave these out of the house until they're older.

" . . . a 1998 report on pet ingestion of poinsettias showed that 15 dogs had ingested poinsettias, with three becoming ill vomiting and diarrhea. Of the 51 cats in the report that ingested poinsettias, one was reported to have the side effect of excessive salivation." (ref.)

Scary though drooling cats are, I remain unafraid.

I don't even like points (sorry, ninecrow), so I don't know why I'm defending them.

What's up with Pachypodium toxicity, especially Lamerei or Geayi? They're obviously toxic, because they're oleander-family plants, but it doesn't sound like they're AS toxic, or at least not as fatally so.

Mr Subj,

You do have to admit that the possibility of an allergic reaction is still there, to say that a plant is nontoxic in all situations is dangerous. This was implied in ninecrow's post.

I don't really like poinsettias either, especially the blue sparkly ones. I do however think wild poinsettias are beautiful in a weedy sort of way. My inlaws have them growing in their front yard in San Diego. I still won't grow one, my son was almost hospitalized more than once because of them.

Oleander is really bad, my aunt lost a llama to an oleander which had suckered through her fence from her neighbor's yard.

Back in the mid- '70s, I think it was NBC's anchorman who announced Poinsettas were not toxic. He interviewed someone from, sheesh, can't recall which university.
To prove his point the anchorman ate one leaf from the Poinsetta.
As far as I know he was okay, but who knows how much time he spent in his home bathroom. This was long ago, I don't remember watching NBC after that newscast. My family normally watched ABC or CBS.

You couldn't pay me to eat Euphorbia of any type. I get nevous handling Ficus elastica, so forget Euphorbia sap.
Who knows, perhaps Poins aren't toxic to the point of death, BUT if someone is allergic! There have been deaths caused from eaing peanut butter and bee stings.
I notice when working on E. millii or Thais, remove a leaf, my hands itch. I cannot fathom what this sap would do to my throat.
Perhaps it is allergy that causes death.
Last autumn, one E. millii (crown of thorns) had lost all but one or two leaves. I took it to the sink..While checking stems, sitting there was a 4" caccoon. I have a pic of the caccoon (Slinky) turned 'moth' (we were hoping for a butterfly) on my site. Slinky and the COT's.
Slinky ate 95% of that Euphrobia, lived and turned moth. Yet, we all know Crown of Thorns are toxic..Why is that?

A friend gave five all white long-hair kittens to a family in Tx. The family kept the kittens together. It was nearing Christmas. The family discovered the kittens had eaten a poinsettia, all 5 died. Perhaps it's age and/or allergy issue.

Then again, Hedera Helix is poisonous. The same friend has a cockatiel. Her bird ate an entire variegated Hedera ivy, down to the soil..he's alive and well, to chirp his story.

Ardisa/Corelberry is also said toxic. I bought a small, 3" potted Ardisa at our grocery store..While putting away
groceries, my tiel ate the darn thing, the whole plant..he's fine, but he scared the daylights out of me.

BirdTalk magazine lists numerous toxic plants. Most plants we'd never suspect as harmful.
When my Clivia blooms, I used to set it in the LR. No more, Clivia is poisonous, too.

I've mentioned this before..When our son was 3 yrs old, (at the time I only had about 75 plants) he decided to bite into a Dumbcane/Dieff. Not once but twice. I heard a piercing scream, discovered what he did. I grabbed and carried him upstairs, (at the time we lived on the first floor of my MIL's appartment building) and phoned Poison Control. They told me to keep watch. If he got a fever or sore throat take him to the ER. Thank God, he was okay, more frightened than anything else. Nowadays, it's 'other' plants he gets into..sigh.

Dumbcane is a common household plant..the majority doesn't know this plant and so many others are harmful..from illness to death. As much as I hate the fact there are warnings on everything we eat/breath, perhaps they should post warning labels on stickers, before one day, a huge lawsuit happens.

Check birdtalk.com..they list a page-filled of toxic plants. Toni

PS. Nan, what is EB virus?
I too am sorry to all who have lost pets.

You do have to admit that the possibility of an allergic reaction is still there, to say that a plant is nontoxic in all situations is dangerous.

I don't deny at all that allergic reactions are possible. I mean, you said you and your son both had them to poinsettias, and I have no reason not to believe you. Allergies, though, are idiosyncratic, uncommon, variable in intensity, having to do with the immune response of the individual, and have nothing to do with toxicity. Toxicity affects everybody more or less similarly, all the time, is worse if you get more of the toxin and less severe if you get less, and doesn't necessarily trigger an allergic response. This is why we're not talking about peanuts or strawberries as being toxic, even though people are allergic to them, even life-threateningly so, sometimes.

And, because I've been looking for any excuse to post this since I ran across it, here's why bay leaves (Laurus nobilis) would have to qualify, if the rule was rewritten to include any part of any plant ever causing any harm to any individual of any species:

"A 35-year-old man ingested bay leaves in a spaghetti dinner and experienced no symptoms until 48 h postingestion, when he had acute onset of severe rectal pain. Sedation was required to examine the rectum. Upon examination, a 4-cm bay leaf was found wedged transversely across the anal canal, with the stem embedded in the mucosa. No complications were noted after successful removal."

(Toxicity of Houseplants: the footnote credits Palin, W. E. and Richardson, J. D., Complications from bay leaf ingestion, JAMA, 250, 729, 1983.)

Mentha I just Posted what was on the Ecke Ranch...

http://www.ecke.com/new1/corp_story/corp_pntcarePoinPois.asp

I hope I haven't Caused any Harm...
No Worries mr_subjunctive *Smiley*
NC

"Toxicity affects everybody more or less similarly, all the time, is worse if you get more of the toxin and less severe if you get less, and doesn't necessarily trigger an allergic response. This is why we're not talking about peanuts or strawberries as being toxic, even though people are allergic to them, even life-threateningly so, sometimes."

Mr. Subjunctive:

I think the allergic reactions mentioned are allergies to something else in the plant, unrelated to the actual toxic compounds or lack thereof. In the case of euphorbias I guess it's a broad latex allergy.

Also, there are other things to take into consideration, especially with the poinsetties. It could be a case where for whatever reason they're not harmful to people, but are to cats, like with dogs and grapes. Or, the poinsettia that the people in Texas got might have come from an unscrupulous grower that was treating it with harmful chemicals (pesticides or something), or had otherwise contaminated it with some sort of disease (Are there any potentially-dangerous food-borne illnesses that might end up on ornamental plants?). I don't know much about the plant growing aspect of horticulture, but I'd imagine that heavily-produced things like poinsettias might be more prone to tragic industrial accidents.

I looked up toxic, just to be sure I had used it correctly.

toxic- adj
1. Of, relating to, or caused by a toxin or other poison: exhibiting symptoms of infection or toxicosis
2. Capable of causing injury or death, especially by chemical or biological means; poisonous: food preservatives that are toxic in concentrated amounts; a dump for toxic industrial wastes. See synonyms poisonous.
3. extremely harsh, malicious, or harmful

[Late Latin toxicus, from Latin toxicum, poison, from Greek toxikon, poison for arrows, poison, from neuter of toxikos, of a bow, from toxon, bow, from Old Persian *taxa-, an arrow.]

So I looked up toxiosis to make sure.

toxicosis- noun, a pathological condition caused by the action of a poison or toxin

Now what's a toxin?

toxin- noun, A poisonous substance, especially a protein, that is produced by living cells or organisms and is capable of causing disease or discomfort when introduced into the body tissues but is often also capable of inducing neutralizing antibodies or antitoxins.

antitoxin- noun,
1. An antibody formed in response to and capable of neutralizing a specific toxin of biological origin. (Allergic reaction?)
2. An animal or human serum containing antitoxins. It is used in medicine to prevent or treat diseases caused by the action of biological toxins, such as tetanus, botulism, and diphtheria.

Well what do you know? My use of the word is correct, toxic does not have to mean to death. It can also mean to cause injury via chemical or biological means. If you look at the footnote it could also mean arrow poison, which surpise, surprise, is what Poinsettia sap is still used for.

I'll say this again, there are many kinds of toxic, from mild discomfort to death. Not all living organisms react to them the same way. Dead is dead regardless of the source.

ninecrow:

The Ecke Ranch may not be an entirely unbiased source, you realize, when it comes to poinsettia toxicity. I mean, I happen to think they're right, but, you know.

amccour:

Yeah, usually allergic reactions are either proteins in and of themselves, and trigger the same immune response that the proteins from bacteria or viruses do (e.g. Ficus or Euphorbia spp., or I think strawberries and nuts), or they're caused by highly reactive compounds which latch onto and change the body's own proteins, making them appear foreign to the immune system (e.g. poison ivy).

Toxins actually disrupt the normal function of the body by blocking a critical enzyme or killing a specific type of cell.

Either one can harm you; the difference is that one is a threat to basically everybody, and the other is a threat only to you and those few people whose immune systems resemble yours in some critical way. Toxins are predictable, and you can be warned about them ahead of time; allergens are not, unless you want to get a skin-prick test for everything, and even then you usually need multiple exposures before allergies develop, so it's possible to test negative for allergy to something and then react to it anyway.

I.e., allergies are fate; toxins are cause and effect.

Yes, any plant could, in theory, cause harm. Lettuce can harbor Salmonella, strawberries can cause allergic reactions, spinach can have E. coli, broccoli can give you hepatitis. But we don't warn about any plant, because these are not hazards that are intrinsic to the plants themselves. It would be reasonable to warn people about The Toxic Plant Spinach only if spinach reliably gave everybody E. coli. But it only does that when something else, the E. coli bacterium, is present. In the same way, poinsettias, as best as I've been able to determine, do not reliably give everybody, or even a substantial number of people, or any species of animal, harm-producing allergies, except in the presence of the small fraction of immune systems which are wired a particular way. On the flip side, Brugmansias reliably make people very sick, because Brugmansias always contain atropine and scopolamine, and that is what atropine and scopolamine do. So Brugmansias are worth warning about.

all:

I'm going to stop here, because I'm afraid I've maybe already derailed mentha's thread irreparably, and because I despair of explaining my objection to poinsettia warnings any more clearly than I just have.

Toni - to respond to your question above:
EB virus = Epstein Barr virus.
I won't even get into it here.
You may want to do a Google search if you're interested.

Just wanted to add this link for the OP for another resource:

Well what do you know, Poinsettia is on the poisonus list ;)

Correct me if Im wrong, but I think I read several years ago that the sap of certain Euphorbias may have carcinogenic properties.

You guys are all forgetting one important thing:

The dose makes the poison!!

Most plants are at least mildly toxic or irritating to everyone, but it is the method of delivery (oral, skin, etc.) and the amount delivered, and the way it is delivered (natural form versus dried, etc.) and the weight or body fat composition of the person or animal.

Take rhubard, toxic leaves but edibile stems. Aloe has historically been used for skin ailments, but make a mistake and use an agave or a yucca and you might get a rash. Digitalis is extremely toxic, but how many patients take Digoxin (from where we get the modern drug)?

Just my two cents.

Nan, thank you. I Googled EB. May I ask how your son is doing?
I don't understand why 'the stuff hit the fan' expressing your opinion about a plant causing illness.
We don't know half of what goes on between plants and humans when they're brought in our homes.
Don't know if you want to open a can of worms but, (but if it's not a problem) how did you come to the conclusion, E. tirucalli, caused problems? Where was the plant purchased? In or out of US?
Nan, I am truly sorry about your son, hope he's fine now. Hugs, Toni

Mentha, I still don't know if Poins are toxic or not. I sure wouldn't eat any part of a poin, or any Euphorbia, but they say it was proven they're non-harmful if eaten.
If they are harmful, I'm thinking its causes are allergic reactions and/or size of person/pet. And like someone said, 'above', dossage ingested.
BTW, did the Sans arrive, Toni

Regarless of toxicity, Poinsettias should be on the caution list especially to those with children & pets. Only because it has been known to cause reaction in some people/animals.

Yes, Toni I did get the package, DS left it at the store and had to go back and get it. Luckily it was still there :) Thanks sooo much!

Last autumn, one E. millii (crown of thorns) had lost all but one or two leaves. I took it to the sink..While checking stems, sitting there was a 4" caccoon. I have a pic of the caccoon (Slinky) turned 'moth' (we were hoping for a butterfly) on my site. Slinky and the COT's.
Slinky ate 95% of that Euphrobia, lived and turned moth. Yet, we all know Crown of Thorns are toxic..Why is that?

Hopefulauthor- Many caterpillars eat poisonous plants as their main food plant and still survive. Many of these species store the toxins in their bodies and so become toxic to predators. The Monarch (Danaus plexippus) is a good example. While its food plant (Milkweed) is edible when young, Milkweed amasses toxins as it goes on in life. Monarchs store these toxins in their bodies, and so cause much discomfort to anything that eats them. The caterpillars and butterflies are brightly colored to advertise this. Also, all cocoons turn into moths. Butterflies make chrysalises, not cocoons.

Mentha- I notice that you have airplane plants on the list of toxic plants. I know that various sources dispute its toxicity. Are you just including it to be safe, or do you have experience with it to know for sure?

Also, I have wondered for a while if Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon japonicus or Ophiopogon japonicus 'Nana') is poisonous. However, I have not seen any source that mentions anything about its toxicity. Anyone know? Thanks.

-Jmcat

Jmcat,
If you check the link provided in the first posting it has caused vomitting in cats. Now if they eat it like they do grass then vomit, or if it really caused discomfort, I couldn't tell you.

Ok, thanks for the clarification. Where, then, would you guess that most sources that list it as non-toxic get that information from? Or, am I just opening up another can of worms, like the poinsettia issue?
-Jmcat

(I have lost the link to this list. I picked up the following discussion from Google cache.)

MMWR is the cleaned up name for the old 'Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report' published by somebody in our (US) government. It could once be found on .gov and .org sites. Note the word 'reported' in the name of the list. These would have been reports to CDC(?) in 1993.

The list is usually titled:

TABLE 1. Twenty most frequently reported plants associated with human poisonings, by plant and number of reported exposures -- United States, 1993

Philodendron (Philodendron sp.) 4726
Pepper (Capsicum annuum) 3912
Dumb cane (Dieffenbachia sp.) 2837
Poinsettia (Euphorbia putcherrima) 2798
Holly (Liex sp.) 2651
Pokeweed/Inkberry (Phytolacoa Americana) 2231
Peace lilly (Spathiphyllum sp.) 2086
Jade plant (Crassula sp.) 1658
Pothos/Devils ivy (Epipremnum aureum) 1401
Poison ivy (Toxicodendron/Rhus radicans) 1308
Umbrella tree (Brassaia actinophylia) 1141
African violet (Saintpaulia ionantha) 1137
Rhododendron/Azalea (Rhododendron sp.) 1029
Yew (Taxus sp.) 969
Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulua) 945
Pyracantha (Pyracantha sp.) 894
Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) 787
Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii ) 781
English ivy ( Hedera helix) 765
Climbing nightshade ( Solanum dulcamara) 754

The numbers are reported cases in 1993.

Albert, I'm shocked, Capsicum, Spath, Pothos and Chlorophytums are toxic. Does the article give reason, or explain which parts of these plants are harmful? Thanks, Toni

Spaths and pothos are aroids, so calcium oxalate crystals. Although that's not really all that problematic.

Technically I guess you could see pepper as being toxic. And certain cultivars (Naga Jolokia?) can be fatal if used in high doses and injected directly into the bloodstream, apparently?

Hot pepper juice could cause blindness. I really can't see a Schlumbergera as toxic either unless it has to do with a viral infection in the plant. Cacti as a rule are safe, and the fruit is edible. I also have a recipe for pyrocantha jelly, hmmm.

I found the link. It is squirreled away in at the bottom of an article on jimson weed, hence the difficulty of finding it. Twenty most frequently reported plants associated with human poisonings

No. Except for jimson weed the article says nothing about the nature of the poison. It is a table of "reports". They do have one sentence on how reports may be clustered following heightened interest as a result of press and broadcast news.

Mentha, it's odd Capsicum causes blindness..They sell Mace, (main ingredient, capsicum,) as a prevention device..I used to carry a small can in container in my purse. It was given to me by a police office, lol, but these devices were also sold in gun shops. I believe the warnings said squirting in the eyes caused temporary blindness. Enough time for a woman to spray and run!

Jimson Weed..A terrible, horrible drug. In the 90's, teens were using JW to get high. Some died, one boy went into a coma, then woke, but the last we heard he'd never again function normally.
There was a man who'd sow seeds in winter then sell seedlings in spring and summer. I found him in a local newspaper. Seedlings were planted in paper cups and labeled with marker. Each cup was .10
There was one marked Datura, which I grabbed instantly, since it was the last availble. He said, this plant is hardy to Il.
I planted the 'datura' a few feet from the sidewalk. It stood 7-8", so space wasn't an issue. Within a month, the Datura grew into a monster. Huge leaves, and big, white fragrant flowers. (I didn't care for its scent.) The flowers seemed to glow at night, very pretty, but stinky.
By autumn, tennis ball size seed pods were everywhere. I picked a couple pods hoping to sow seeds the following year. The following year, several 'daturas' grew..I didn't want 100 daturas growing in my front, side and back yard..The seeds must have blown in the wind, landing throughout the neighborhood.
What I'd like to know is, is Datura and Jimson Weed the same plant? They sure look alike, grow alike. They are more invasive than dandilions. Horrible weeds. Then to find out teens are getting high on these plants, I panicked..I dug it all up..Every single plant.
The first datura/JW was planted, I think 1989.
2007 and 2008 was the worse..they grew everywhere. Honest to God, there were over 1000 babies in front alone! As fast as I plucked, another grew. How do I rid these plants without killing others?
My gardens are an acid-heads' delight..sheesh! The land of Oz. We're off to see the Wizard. I could use a wizard to rid these horrible plants. Any advice? Toni

hopeful, it sounds like datura and jimson are the same thing.

Some kids at my highschool used Jimson weed. None of them died, but they all ended up in the hospital.

I don't condone drug use, but there are hallucinogens out there that don't tend to induce coma and death by themselves. If you HAVE to go that route, there probably are safer options.

Yes, Toni, they ARE the same. I was going to suggest you contact Carlos Castaneda & ask him, but I Googled instead (which I'm sure you know how to do). I found the answer w/in the first 6 entries, exclusive of Wikipedia (which I don't consider reliable).

Jimson weed grows wild around here. I love datura, but won't have one in my yard, but a brugmansia in a pot, I might do again.

Jimson weed grows wild 'round here, too...it's very problematic in pastures (this is a very rural area with a lot of farmland.)

I grow several Brugmansias, and have grown a few daturas (in pots) in the past, but I never let the seeds escape the pods of the datura, as I never wanted to be a 'contributer' to the weed problem.

Have never had any problems with my Brugs, though I'm always careful to wash my hands and have always told my kids the same.
Pets have never bothered my brugs, either, it's as though they *know* better.

Remember, our good old POTATOES are Solanums, and we're told we can (of course!) eat the tubers (the potatoes themselves) but never the leaves.

It's funny livestock usually will not touch datura, other than a nibble here or there, and only by goats and sheep that I've seen. It has never seemed to harm them though, but then again they're usually loopy to begin with. ;) Up in the Monterey & Carmel, Big Sur areas datura is all over in horse pastures. I doubt the horses will have anything to do with it. It just goes to show the old Native American addage to see what you can eat, watch the wildlife (paraphrased). Maybe animals are smarter that way.

A word on potatoes, never eat them raw, it's the cooking that kills the poisons in the plant. Although you'll probably just get sick to your stomach, it's not a good idea to try it.

Potato tubers are poisonous, apparently. You'd just need to eat some horribly obscene amount to get sick. Also I get the impression they were more toxic at one point in time till people cultivated the toxicity out of them.

Raw potatoes will make you sick, poison or no, for the same reason eating unripened bananas will make you sick, though, wouldn't they? Also with potatoes it sounds like toxicity is a factor of ripeness and not cookedness. Going from Wikipedia, for that.

Hi,
I didn't read all the posts so if something was already mentioned, sorry. But there is a lot more houseplants that are poisonous to pets. Isn't it best to avoid a plant even if it only affects dogs, vice versa cats? For instance, I know a pet sitter who sits often. I have several of these, Mother-in-Law's Tongue, Aloe Vera, The African Milk Plant and a Sago Palm.
{{gwi:79052}}

I was given a absolutely beautiful Azalea as a birthday present 3 yrs ago. I didn't know that it was poisonous to cats and found out the hard way. I almost lost the main man in my life. Yes thats my cat Hedwig. Thankfully after running him to the vet he is now fine.

Since that happened I make sure I check to see it is safe to be in my house. Whether it be a plant that is given as a present to me or one I may be interested in buying. I would be absolutely devastated if anything happened to him due to me not makeing absolutely sure it was safe to have that plant in my house.

Myself,I also think they should not only have information about the plant on the tag when you buy it but also if it is dangerous to cats or dogs. Doesn't take up a whole lotta space to say dangerous to cats or dangerous to dogs. Not everyone has a computer to check these things out. I have found that alot of people selling the plants think that 2+2=6 when you ask them if it is dangerous to cats or not. But the long and short of everything is when in doubt always do this check check check before you buy a plant. You don't want to hurt your furry friends unknowingly.

Take care all you cat lovers and have a nice day

Lori and Hedwig

I'm sorry to hear that.
I was reading through all the posts to see if anyone had mentioned Azalea....

Azalea, I've heard, is more toxic than Oleander....

The incidence of harmful interaction is probably lower, though, because Azalea
don't require extensive pruning (in the yard).

Josh

Azalea is not more toxic than oleander. It's generally considered mildly toxic, though some animals are more sensitive than others.

Deer will devour it with zeal.

I have an azalea. Apparently toxicity varies a lot by cultivar and even by animal's weight. So, and this is just the impression I got and it might be wrong, say, if a 20 pound dog nibbles on an azalea, it might get a little ill. If a 6 pound cat nibbles on an azalea, very bad things might happen.

Oddly enough azaleas seem to do really well indoors. Or at least mine is. In the summer I keep it outside, in the yard that the pets don't have access to. In the other three quarters of the year, it's in my dorm, whree... animals aren't getting to it anyway.