William L. Rose wrote:
Came in late on this but for some reason you think that Nerium oleander
toxins (organic compounds) have migrated to you soil and that it
persists there (like poly-chlorinate biphenyls) long enough to be picked
up by plants and actively transported across cell membranes.

Really, I had not thought to this fact. You think oleander toxins could
not remain in the soil enough time to be absorbed in such a toxic quantity?

The phloem,
as you must know, basically is the water pipe for plants. Other than
water, larger molecules (nutrients) have to be selected.

Yes I know.

The real test would be to grow some veggies with oleander and some
without. Gas chromatography would let you see the differences and column
chromatography would separate them out for you to characterize.


You think anyone make this kind of tests on plants and perhaps on the
Oleander too?

Listings that I've read refer to ingestion of oleander for toxic effects
in mammals, birds, reptiles. As long as you don't eat Monarch butterfly
there shouldn't be much of a problem.

Do you know what is the necessary dose to kill a man, or a child (maybe
this dosis cannot be stored in veggie leafs and tree fruits!?) ?


Anecdotally, I grow tomatoes and cucumbers around foxglove and I've
never got so much as a buzz :-(

:-)


- Bill

Thanks, Bill