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#1
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list of poisonous plants
In article .com, "Sacha" writes: | | However, you say that the sap isn't life-threatening but that is one | of the most toxic plants going. A friend of ours ended up in hospital | after contact with it. He had horrible blisters and three years later, | the areas of his skin affected, still react badly to exposure to | sunlight. It's definitely not a plant to take lightly or to recommend | to others, IMO. Anyway, Hayley, I'm sorry - that was a mistake on my | part. I would (and did) take the "chemical burn" plants more seriously than the "poisonous" ones. If a child gets the sap on its hands, and rubs its eyes, that could be VERY bad news. And that is actually a likely scenario, unlike a child munching random unpalatable leaves, digging up and eating roots etc. Unfortunately, there are a fair number of such plants. Giant hogweed is one; all sumachs and euphorbias are others - and the last include petty spurge (a very common weed) and the house plant "poinsettia". Also periwinkles, but mere touch isn't enough to reach the sap. Incidentally, I never did confuse Hayley with anyone, but did (and do) feel that she should and could have checked in a book or elsewhere on the Web to find out that quinces are NOT poisonous. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
#2
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list of poisonous plants
In article .com,
"Sacha" writes: | | However, you say that the sap isn't life-threatening but that is one | of the most toxic plants going. A friend of ours ended up in hospital | after contact with it. He had horrible blisters and three years later, | the areas of his skin affected, still react badly to exposure to | sunlight. It's definitely not a plant to take lightly or to recommend I would (and did) take the "chemical burn" plants more seriously than the "poisonous" ones. If a child gets the sap on its hands, and rubs its eyes, that could be VERY bad news. And that is actually a likely scenario, I agree wholeheartedly that plants capable of inflicting serious pain and/or permanent skin or eye damage are too dangerous to grow in a garden where children will play. Fortunately there are not too many of them. But even things like hyacinth bulbs can afflict sensitive skins. I managed to get sensitised to sedum spectabile sap by some mishap. unlike a child munching random unpalatable leaves, digging up and eating roots etc. Though the handful of seriously deadly plants where the flower or fruits are potentially lethal in low doses (colchicum or autumn crocus and oleander) are also worth avoiding. The list I posted that you complained about was over cautious, but AFAICT it did contain most of the nasty ones classified as nasty (but also some pretty harmless ones falsely accused). Unfortunately, there are a fair number of such plants. Giant hogweed is one; all sumachs and euphorbias are others - and the last include petty spurge (a very common weed) and the house plant "poinsettia". You will have the Poinsettia society after your scalp. As far as is known the toxicity of euphorbia pulcherrima or Poinsettia is pretty much an urban legend that has never been confirmed in any independent toxological trials. See for example: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/e...0/art1nov.html Most cultivars of E. pulcherrima lack the nasty diterpenes present in the vicious ones. But I would still not want their sap in my eyes. I once made that mistake after stringing chillis... Euphorbia virosa at the other extreme is so dangerous that eye protection is essential when handling it. The sap jets out under pressure when the plant is damaged in fine threads. Most euphorbias are somewhere inbetween. Desert ones are usually much nastier. http://florawww.eeb.uconn.edu/acc_num/198900028.html Fortunately in the UK we do not have the really dermatologically vicious sumacs like poison oak and ivy or the Japanese lacquer tree. Also periwinkles, but mere touch isn't enough to reach the sap. A rough and ready rule for handling plant cuttings is never trust anything with a milky sap. Lettuce is the obvious exception. And always wash your hands... Regards, Martin Brown |
#3
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list of poisonous plants
In article . com, writes: | | I agree wholeheartedly that plants capable of inflicting serious pain | and/or permanent skin or eye damage are too dangerous to grow in a | garden where children will play. Fortunately there are not too many of | them. ... Agreed. | Though the handful of seriously deadly plants where the flower or | fruits are potentially lethal in low doses (colchicum or autumn crocus | and oleander) are also worth avoiding. The list I posted that you | complained about was over cautious, but AFAICT it did contain most of | the nasty ones classified as nasty (but also some pretty harmless ones | falsely accused). Oleander, yes, though it isn't really a UK plant. But would a child really eat colchicum? The risk must be lower than having an aircraft fall on its head. That list omits a large number of seriously poisonous plants which have caused deaths - e.g. beans (Phaseolus), bluebells (Scilla), and pretty well all of the tropicals. And then there are fungi - which you can't prevent appearing when you least expect them. Even given that, such risks are negligible - and you can be sure that the people who panic over such things don't take trains instead of driving (which reduces the risk to their brats MUCH more). | You will have the Poinsettia society after your scalp. As far as is | known the toxicity of euphorbia pulcherrima or Poinsettia is pretty | much an urban legend that has never been confirmed in any independent | toxological trials. See for example: Interesting. As with Solanum, not all are toxic :-) Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
#4
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list of poisonous plants
she should and could have checked in a book or elsewhere on
the Web to find out that quinces are NOT poisonous. I know that quinces are not poisonous, that's why I said that I was intending to eat teh quinces and I did check on the web, that's where I found all the stuff re poisonous seeds. As all the info I could find suggested that (a) it is difficult to extract teh seed as the fruit (in this country anyway) is very hard and (b) that the seed is poisonous then I thought I'd try actually asking a group of people about it in the hope that one of them woudl have some direct experience of an English grown quince and could give me some actual "common sense facts" as opposed to the miscellaneous assortment of information on the web which is variable in quality and usefulness at best . -- Hayley (gardening on well drained, alkaline clay in Somerset) |
#5
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list of poisonous plants
In article , "H Ryder" writes: | she should and could have checked in a book or elsewhere on | the Web to find out that quinces are NOT poisonous. | | I know that quinces are not poisonous, that's why I said that .... I apologise for misunderstanding you. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
#6
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list of poisonous plants
Nick Maclaren writes
In article .com, "Sacha" writes: | | However, you say that the sap isn't life-threatening but that is one | of the most toxic plants going. A friend of ours ended up in hospital | after contact with it. He had horrible blisters and three years later, | the areas of his skin affected, still react badly to exposure to | sunlight. It's definitely not a plant to take lightly or to recommend | to others, IMO. Anyway, Hayley, I'm sorry - that was a mistake on my | part. I would (and did) take the "chemical burn" plants more seriously than the "poisonous" ones. If a child gets the sap on its hands, and rubs its eyes, that could be VERY bad news. And that is actually a likely scenario, unlike a child munching random unpalatable leaves, digging up and eating roots etc. My son is allergic to grass sap - I can well remember the sight of him with his eyes (and I mean his eyeballs, not the skin around) swollen like a large plastic bag. -- Kay |
#7
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list of poisonous plants
Nick Maclaren wrote: snip I would (and did) take the "chemical burn" plants more seriously than the "poisonous" ones. If a child gets the sap on its hands, and rubs its eyes, that could be VERY bad news. And that is actually a likely scenario, unlike a child munching random unpalatable leaves, digging up and eating roots etc. Unfortunately, there are a fair number of such plants. Giant hogweed is one; all sumachs and euphorbias are others - and the last include petty spurge (a very common weed) and the house plant "poinsettia". Also periwinkles, but mere touch isn't enough to reach the sap. snip While the saps of Toxicodendron (poison sumac(h)s) are highly allergenic for most people, do you have a cite that shows that all other sumachs have "toxic burn" saps? |
#8
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list of poisonous plants
I notice that just about every plant other than Monkshood has been
mentioned. Does this mean that it isn't as poisonous as I have been led to believe? I am such a novice still compared to some of you on here and would love to know if I have been worrying for nothing. When we moved here three years ago I knew even less than I do now. We moved at the end of May and found to our delight a garden full of beautiful flowers/plants. I went around the garden and cut some flowers and put two vases in the kitchen, this went on all summer. One day a neighbour called in and pointed to the beautiful purple flowers which I had been happily cutting and putting in the kitchen and said to me, "Ooh, Monkshood, I love it, but you do know it's extremely poisonous don't you"? I had no idea at all and immediately stopped putting the flowers in the house. I still have loads of it growing all over the garden, it is so pretty it's hard to believe it could have such a bad reputation. I have to say that I have followed this thread closely and have learned loads. I didn't know that potato, runner beans, tomatoes or horseradish were poisonous! I did know of Rhubarb but only because a friend of mine when we were kids picked some leaves and cooked them for her dad's tea because she thought they were cabbage leaves. He ended up in hospital a very sick man! This is a definitely a great site for novices, there is so much to learn and no better way to do it than on here. Thank you all! Gail |
#9
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list of poisonous plants
In article .com,
tom&barbara wrote: ... "Ooh, Monkshood, I love it, but you do know it's extremely poisonous don't you"? I had no idea at all and immediately stopped putting the flowers in the house. I still have loads of it growing all over the garden, it is so pretty it's hard to believe it could have such a bad reputation. Why stop? Unless you munch into it, it won't harm you. Many of the most beautiful plants are among the most poisonous. Try Gloriosa, Brugmansia and Oleander. I have to say that I have followed this thread closely and have learned loads. I didn't know that potato, runner beans, tomatoes or horseradish were poisonous! I did know of Rhubarb but only because a friend of mine when we were kids picked some leaves and cooked them for her dad's tea because she thought they were cabbage leaves. He ended up in hospital a very sick man! Quite. Never eat any part of a potato except the tubers, never eat green tubers, and don't eat potato raw if even slightly green. The same applies to all parts of the tomato except the fruit (which is edible ripe or green). It is the roots of runner beans that are poisonous, but never eat runner or dwarf/French beans raw once they start to ripen. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
#10
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list of poisonous plants
"Nick Maclaren" wrote Never eat any part of a potato except the tubers, never eat green tubers, and don't eat potato raw if even slightly green. snip I've known my Dad to eat pieces of raw potato. Goodness knows why he likes it but he would often steal chunks while my Mother was preparing veg for a meal. Though after drinking huge quantities of tea all his life I expect his stomach lining is as tanned as old leather and maybe that protects him. -- Sue |
#11
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list of poisonous plants
In article ews.net, "Sue" writes: | | Never eat any part of a potato except the tubers, never eat | green tubers, and don't eat potato raw if even slightly green. snip | | I've known my Dad to eat pieces of raw potato. Goodness knows why he | likes it but he would often steal chunks while my Mother was preparing | veg for a meal. Though after drinking huge quantities of tea all his | life I expect his stomach lining is as tanned as old leather and maybe | that protects him. Yup. Me too :-) More seriously, raw potato is indigestible rather than poisonous, but raw GREEN potato is poisonous. However, the toxin is most harmful to pregnant women (as is common), so middle-aged men need not worry about a small quantity. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
#12
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list of poisonous plants
In article . com,
wrote: While the saps of Toxicodendron (poison sumac(h)s) are highly allergenic for most people, do you have a cite that shows that all other sumachs have "toxic burn" saps? We do converse in odd places! Not really. I have seen such references in gardening books, but they are notoriously unreliable. Several people have witnessed it for at least Rhus typhina (though at a MUCH lesser level), and I can for Cotinus coggygria. I am not a 'sensitive' person. The last produces very little sap, so the chances are low. In my case, neither Rhus typhina nor Cotinus coggygria cause me as much reaction as Toxicodendron diversilobum, though the course of the reaction is similar. And they can penetrate only thin skin, whereas the last gets through medium skin (but not thick). They aren't much worse than Vinca major on me. And, in all of those other cases, there is no toxin carried on the surface of the leaves, so that it causes trouble only when pruning/removing and then the sap gets on thin skin. In my limited experience, a fair proportion of the effect of Toxicodendron diversilobum is because the surface oil carries the toxin. There are many plants whose sap is quite seriously irritant, but which produce very little even when cut and none at all if merely brushed against - they then get classified as non-toxic. I have evidence that these include Humulus lupus. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
#13
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list of poisonous plants
Nick Maclaren wrote: In article .com, "Sacha" writes: | | However, you say that the sap isn't life-threatening but that is one | of the most toxic plants going. A friend of ours ended up in hospital | after contact with it. He had horrible blisters and three years later, | the areas of his skin affected, still react badly to exposure to | sunlight. It's definitely not a plant to take lightly or to recommend | to others, IMO. Anyway, Hayley, I'm sorry - that was a mistake on my | part. I would (and did) take the "chemical burn" plants more seriously than the "poisonous" ones. If a child gets the sap on its hands, and rubs its eyes, that could be VERY bad news. And that is actually a likely scenario, unlike a child munching random unpalatable leaves, digging up and eating roots etc. Unfortunately, there are a fair number of such plants. Giant hogweed is one; all sumachs and euphorbias are others - and the last include petty spurge (a very common weed) and the house plant "poinsettia". Also periwinkles, but mere touch isn't enough to reach the sap. Incidentally, I never did confuse Hayley with anyone, but did (and do) feel that she should and could have checked in a book or elsewhere on the Web to find out that quinces are NOT poisonous. Regards, Nick Maclaren. Over the years I've worked alongside people, adults, with varying degrees of susceptibility to plant poisons. Euphobias were relatively successful in causing skin irritations. To a lesser percentage, but more severe, Berberis thunbergi (in march only). Rue, on the other hand, affected anyone in contact with it and even got to me, which surprised me. On a different angle, fremontodendron is covered in tiny, almost glass-like-invisible shards. It's a lovely plant which flowers very well for such a long time that I wondered why it was not more popular. Then one day I found out when, presumably, I rubbed my eyes whilst de-heading some of its flowers and by the evening my eye was glued up. The following day it was even more glued up and I had to go to an optician. Not exactly a chemical burn, or the deadly-poisonous catogory, but unpleasant enough in my experience. |
#14
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list of poisonous plants
In article . com, "a.c." writes: | | Over the years I've worked alongside people, adults, with varying | degrees of susceptibility to plant poisons. | | Euphobias were relatively successful in causing skin irritations. An amusing typo! | Rue, on the other hand, affected anyone in contact with it and even got | to me, which surprised me. Interesting. I react little to it. | On a different angle, fremontodendron is covered in tiny, almost | glass-like-invisible shards. It's a lovely plant which flowers very | well for such a long time that I wondered why it was not more popular. | Then one day I found out when, presumably, I rubbed my eyes whilst | de-heading some of its flowers and by the evening my eye was glued up. | The following day it was even more glued up and I had to go to an | optician. Not exactly a chemical burn, or the deadly-poisonous | catogory, but unpleasant enough in my experience. Now, that's worth knowing. Nasty. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
#15
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list of poisonous plants
In message , Nick Maclaren
writes In article . com, "a.c." writes: | | Over the years I've worked alongside people, adults, with varying | degrees of susceptibility to plant poisons. | | Euphobias were relatively successful in causing skin irritations. An amusing typo! | Rue, on the other hand, affected anyone in contact with it and even got | to me, which surprised me. Interesting. I react little to it. | On a different angle, fremontodendron is covered in tiny, almost | glass-like-invisible shards. It's a lovely plant which flowers very | well for such a long time that I wondered why it was not more popular. | Then one day I found out when, presumably, I rubbed my eyes whilst | de-heading some of its flowers and by the evening my eye was glued up. | The following day it was even more glued up and I had to go to an | optician. Not exactly a chemical burn, or the deadly-poisonous | catogory, but unpleasant enough in my experience. Now, that's worth knowing. Nasty. Another reason for their lack of popularity might be hardiness; they're usually OK on a south facing wall, but not necessarily elsewhere. My came through the previous two winters unscathed, but has been severely cut back by this winter. And, yes, one wants to be careful with the hairs of Fremontodendron - they'll embed themselves in your skin like cactus spines do. Quite a few 'mallows' are a bit hazardous on contact. Lagunaria (Norfolk Island Hibiscus) is notorious for the itching seed pod hairs. I've heard mention of irritant hairs from several types of Hibiscus (possibly Furcarias), though I'm not aware of how severe they can be. I've also had a couple of reports of reactions to Lavatera, but this seems to be to the sap. -- Stewart Robert Hinsley |
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