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PLANTS THAT POISON

Originally compiled by the SAN DIEGO TURTLE AND TORTOISE SOCIETY

The most innocent-looking, even the most beautiful plant in the garden, window box, or field may be a potential killer or cause serious illness if eaten.

The following list was compiled from a variety of poison plant lists that have been previously printed in many forms of reading matter. The purpose of this list is to make you aware of the plants that are potentially dangerous to pets and humans. Every effort has been made to further identify these plants, but in some cases only the name of the plant is known, along with the fact that some portion of the plant is dangerous. Even though you may have noticed your pet eating some portion of a plant herein listed without any noticeable harmful effects, this does not preclude the possibility of danger. Please check your yard and attempt to distinguish the poisonous plants and isolate them from your pets and children. Nurseries often identify their plants by their Latin names, so those are included where possible. If in doubt, don’t acquire the plant. In the list, the common name appears in bold type; other names the plant goes by appear in parentheses; its Latin name in italics; and toxic parts of the plant appear in regular type.

For emergency information, call the hospital Emergency Center in your area. Hospitals keep a list of procedures for you to follow when ingestion of a poisonous plant occurs, or call your 24-hour emergency veterinary service.

ACOKANTHERA, fruit and flowers

ACONITE, (Monkshood), roots, flowers and leaves

AGAPANTHUS, African lily, foliage and bulb

ALOE, high in oxalates, irritant

AMSINKIA (Tarweed), foliage and seeds

ANEMONE, Wildflower

AMARYLLIS, A. belladonna digitalis, bulbs contain alkaloids; berries and other parts

ANGEL TRUMPET TREE, Datura arborea, flowers and leaves

APPLE SEEDS, see Cherry Laurel

APRICOT SEEDS, Prunus

ATROPA BELLADONNA, all parts, especially black berries

AUTUMN CROCUS, bulbs

AVOCADO, foliage

AZALEAS (RHODODENDRON), all parts are fatal!

BANEBERRY, (Doll's Eyes), red or white berries, roots and foliage

BEGONIA, tubers, foliage and blossoms

BEACH PEA, Lathyrus manumus

BETEL NUT PALM, all parts

BIRD OF PARADISE, Strelitzia, foliage, flowers and seed pods

BITTERSWEET, Solanum celastrus, dulcamera, berries

BLACK LOCUST, bark, sprouts and foliage are poisonous

BLEEDING HEART, (Dutchman's Breeches), foliage and roots

BLOODROOT, Sanguinaria, all parts

BLUE-GREEN ALGAE, Mycrocystis, all parts!

BLUEBONNETS, (Lupines), Lupinus, all parts

BOTTLEBRUSH, flowers

BOXWOOD, Buxux sempervirens, all parts

BUCKEYE HORSE CHESTNUT, sprouts and nuts

BUTTERCUP, all parts

CARDINAL FLOWER, Lobelia

CALADIUM, all parts

CALLA LILLY, all parts

CAROLINA JESSAMINE, flowers, leaves and sap

CASAVA, roots

CASTOR BEAN, seeds are fatal!

CELANDINE, Chelidonium

CHRISTMAS ROSE, all parts, especially leaves

CHERRIES, Prunus (wild and cultivated), twigs and foliage are fatal!

CHERRY LAUREL, all parts are very dangerous; contains hydrocyanic acid

CHERRY SEEDS, see CHERRIES above

CHINA BERRY TREE, Melia, berries are poisonous

CHINESE EVERGREEN, Aglaonema, foliage

CHINESE LANTERN

CHRISTMAS BERRY, (Toyo), berries are poisonous

COLUMBINE, Aquilegia, all parts

COMMON PRIVET, black or blue wax-coated berries and leaves

CORAL PLANT, Euphorbium, entire plant

CHINA BERRY TREE, Melia, berries are poisonous

CREEPING CHARLIE, black or blue

CROCUS, all bulbs

CROTON, inside plants are safe, outdoor plants are dangerous

CYCLAMEN, foliage, stems and flowers

DAPHNE, Laurus, the berries are fatal!

DAFFODIL, (Narcissus), bulbs may be fatal

DAPHNE, the berries are fatal!

DEATH-CAMAS, all parts are poisonous, roots are deadly!

DEADLY NIGHTSHADE, all parts, unripe fruit and foliage

DELPHINIUM, (Larkspur annual), all parts
DESTROYING ANGEL, (Death Cap), Amanita, all parts

DIEFFENBACHIA, (Dumb Cane), all parts, especially the sap

DOGWOOD, fruit slightly poisonous

EGGPLANT stems

ELDERBERRY, leaves, shoots, and bark

ELEPHANT EARS (Taro), entire plant and fruit is poisonous

ENGLISH IVY, Hedera, berries—all ivys are toxic

EUPHORBIA, (Spurge), (Crown of Thorns), (Poinsettia), leaves and flowers & latex-like sap

FALSE HELIEBORE, all parts are poisonous and the root is deadly!

FIDDLE LEAF FIG, Ficus lyrata, liage and latex sap

FIG, Ficus benjamina

FOXGLOVE, Digitalis purpurea, whole plant can be fatal

FIDDLE NECK,(String of Pearls) Senecio

FLY AGARIC, (Fly Amanita mushroom), whole plant

FOUR O'CLOCK, Mirabilis, whole plant

GELSEMIUM, whole plant

GOLDEN CHAIN, seeds and pods may be fatal

HEAVENLY BAMBOO, Nandina, all parts

HELIEBORE, Ranunculaccea, all parts

HEMLOCK ROOTS, all parts

HENBANE, all parts

HOLLY, leaves and berries

HORSE CHESTNUT, all parts, including bud

HORSETAIL REED, Equisetum, all parts

HYACINTH, Hyacinthus, Garden variety, not water; bulbs, foliage and flowers

HYDRANGEA, whole plant

IMPATIENS, (Balsam, Touch-Me-Not, Snapweed), whole plant

IRIS, underground stems

IVY, all parts

JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT, root is irritant and astringent

JASMINE, YELLOW, all parts

JATROPHA, (Pursge Nut, Curcas Bean, Peregrina, Psychic Nut), seeds and oil

JERUSALEM CHERRY, fruits and leaves

JIMSON WEED, (Thorn apple), all parts

JOHNSON GRASS, Sorgum, all parts are toxic

JUNIPER, Juniperus, all parts

LAMBKILL (Sheep Lauren), leaves

LANTANA CAMARA (Red Sage), green berries are fatal

LARKSPUR, (Delphinium), foliage and roots are dangerous, seeds may be fatal!

LAURELS (Primus varieties), all parts are fatal!

LILY-OF-THE-NILE, Agapanthus

LILY-OF-THE-VALLEY, all parts

LOBELIA, (Cardinal flower), all parts

LOCOWEED, all parts

LOCUST, Lobinia, all parts

LUPINE, Lupinus, seeds, pods, and foliage

MACHINEEL, all parts

MARIJUANA, all parts

MAY APPLE, all parts

MESCAL, (Peyote), all parts

MILKWEED, all parts

MISTLETOE, berries are fatal!

MOCCASIN FLOWER, (Lady Slipper), all parts

MOCK ORANGE, all parts

MONKSHOOD, foliage and fleshy roots

MOONSEED, berries may be fatal

MORNING GLORIES, all parts

MOUNTAIN LAUREL, young leaves and shoots are fatal!

MUSHROOMS and TOADSTOOLS (wild types)

NARCISSUS BULBS, (Daffodil), can be fatal

NATAL CHERRY, berries

NECTARINE, fruit okay, inner seed only

NEPHTHYTIS, Syngonium, foliage

NICOTIANA, Nicotine (Bush Tobacco) wild and cultivated, leaves

NIGHTSHADES, (European Bittersweet, Horse Nettle), all parts, especially unripe berries

OAKS, foliage and acorns

OLEANDER, foliage

PANSY, Viola, all parts

PEACH SEEDS, see CHERRY LAUREL

PEAR SEEDS, see CHERRY LAUREL

PENNY ROYAL, Hedeoma and Mentha, foliage and flowers

PEONY, all parts

PEPPERS, Capsicum, foliage

PERIWINKLE, Vinca, all parts

PHILODENDRON, Monstera, leaves and sap

PINKS, (Sweet William, Carnation), Dianthus, all parts

PLUM SEEDS, see CHERRY LAUREL

POKEWEED (Pokeberry), Phytolacca, roots and fruit are dangerous

POINSETTIA, (Note: recent research supports the claim that the poinsettia plant is non-toxic and at worst a stomach irritant. While not fatal it should not be eaten by people or pets. Therefore, it should not be fed or used as a landscaping plant in habitats. )

POISON HEMLOCK, all parts are fatal!

POISON IVY, all parts

POISON OAK

POISON SUMAC, all parts

POPPY, all except California poppies are dangerous

POTATO, sprouts and foliage are fatal!

POTHOS

PRIVET, Ligustrum, leaves and fruit

PYRACANTHA, Pyracantha, foliage and fruit

RANUNCULUS, all parts

REDWOOD, wood chips are poisonous to fish, turtles,
and other aquatic animals

RHODODENDRON, (Azalea), all parts are fatal

RHUBARB, Rheum, leaves and leaf blade are fatal!

ROSARY BEAN, (Jequirity Bean, Crab's Eye, Precatroy Bean), Abrus, seeds commonly called "beans" are fatal!

ROSEMARY, leaves of certain varieties are harmless, others are poisonous

RUSSIAN THISTLE, Carduus or Silybum, foliage and flowering part

SAGE, Salvia, leaves of certain varieties are harmless, others are poisonous

SALMON BERRY, Rubus, foliage and fruit

SCARLET PIMPERNEL, Amagallis, foliage, flowers and fruit

SCOTCH BROOM, Cytisus, seeds

SENECIO, whole plant

SHASTA DAISY,(Chrysanthemum), foliage and flowers

SKUNK CABBAGE, Symplocarpus, roots

SNAPDRAGON, Antirrhimum, all parts

SQUIRREL CORN, Dicentra, all parts

STAR-OF-BETHLEHEM, Ornithagalum, all parts

STAR THISTLE, Centaurea

STRONOMIUM, all parts

SUDAN GRASS, Sorgum

SUNDEW, Droscera, foliage toxic

SWEET PEA, stems

TANSY, Tanacetum, all parts

TARO, stem and leaves

TAR WEED, Eriodictyon, foliage, flowers and seed pods

TIGER LILY, Lillium, all parts

TOAD FLAX, Linaria, foliage

TOADSTOOLS and WILD MUSHROOMS (wild types)

TOBACCO PLANTS, all parts

TOMATO, foliage and vines

TOYON BERRY, Heteromeles, berries are toxic

TREE OF HEAVEN, Ailanthus, foliage and flowering parts

TRILLIUM, (Common), foliage

TULIP BULBS, Tulipus

TRUMPET VINE, (Challis), Campsis, Nicotiana, all parts

UMBRELLA TREE, Schefflera, all parts

VENUS FLYTRAP, Dionaea, foliage and flowering parts

VERBENA, Verbena, foliage and flowers

WISTERIA, Wisteria, seeds and pods

YELLOW JASMINE, all parts

YELLOW OLEANDER, all parts, especially kernels of the fruit

YEWS, (Yucca, Spanish Bayonet), Taxus, foliage, flowers and berries are toxic

YELLOW STAR THISTLE, Centaurea, foliage and flowering parts

YERBA SANTA, Eriodictyon, foliage and seeds

Only the stems are cooked for human consumption

WARNING! When gardening or weeding, be certain you don’t track poisonous plants on the soles of your shoes into areas where your pet lives and feeds. Even a few bits of poisonous plant matter can kill if ingested. It’s a good idea to avoid entirely any plants that can poison your animals (or children). Even the withered blooms or leaves on some flowers, shrubs, fruit, or vegetables can be fatal.

World Chelonian Trust

www.chelonia.org

PO Box 1445

Vacaville, CA

95696

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