list of poisonous plants
 

I know that lots of plants are described as "poisonous" when in fact they
just give you a bit of a bad tummy, whilst others can be fatal. I have small
children so am trying to rid the garden of anythign fatal to them but do not
mind the "bad tummy" plants. Does anyone know where I can find out just how
poisonous plants are? Am especially interested in Daphnes as I'd love to
have one but have avoided getting one as they seem "very poisonous" but I am
not sure of this. Also please let me know of any common plant which is fatal
to children - I know of Lords and Ladies (Acorus calamus ) and nightshade
but am not sure of others. (I also know that I can tell them not to eat
anything but that does not work in a garden full of raspberries etc - they
know that they can eat some stuff :) )

--
Hayley
(gardening on well drained, alkaline clay in Somerset)

list of poisonous plants
 

I know that lots of plants are described as "poisonous" when in fact they
just give you a bit of a bad tummy, whilst others can be fatal. I have small
children so am trying to rid the garden of anythign fatal

Most of the online lists are targetted at the US but are still useful.

Google +plants +toxicity gives several useful sites. This one isn't too
bad:

http://envhort.ucdavis.edu/ce/king/P...nt/Tox-COM.htm

Some include toxicity to commercial livestock as well.

It probably is worth avoiding some of the really deadly poisonous
plants if you have small children. Some colchicums for instance can be
lethal in very small doses.

Regards,
Martin Brown

list of poisonous plants
 

In article ,
"H Ryder" writes:
|
| I know that lots of plants are described as "poisonous" when in fact they
| just give you a bit of a bad tummy, whilst others can be fatal. I have small
| children so am trying to rid the garden of anythign fatal to them but do not
| mind the "bad tummy" plants. Does anyone know where I can find out just how
| poisonous plants are? Am especially interested in Daphnes as I'd love to
| have one but have avoided getting one as they seem "very poisonous" but I am
| not sure of this. Also please let me know of any common plant which is fatal
| to children - I know of Lords and Ladies (Acorus calamus ) and nightshade
| but am not sure of others. (I also know that I can tell them not to eat
| anything but that does not work in a garden full of raspberries etc - they
| know that they can eat some stuff :) )

It ain't what you know that causes the trouble; it's what you know that
ain't so.

The one plant I would advise against is laburnum, because its seeds
look just like mung beans and are lethally poisonous. But it is
widespread in the UK and responsible for VERY few deaths. Neither of
the two plants you mention is lethal. Try educating your children
rather than covering them in cotton wool - many of us have done that,
and our neighbours had a laburnum that overhung our lawn, too.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

list of poisonous plants
 

"H Ryder" wrote in message
...
I know that lots of plants are described as "poisonous" when in fact they
just give you a bit of a bad tummy, whilst others can be fatal. I have
small
children so am trying to rid the garden of anythign fatal to them but do
not
mind the "bad tummy" plants. Does anyone know where I can find out just
how
poisonous plants are? Am especially interested in Daphnes as I'd love to
have one but have avoided getting one as they seem "very poisonous" but I
am
not sure of this. Also please let me know of any common plant which is
fatal
to children - I know of Lords and Ladies (Acorus calamus ) and nightshade
but am not sure of others. (I also know that I can tell them not to eat
anything but that does not work in a garden full of raspberries etc - they
know that they can eat some stuff :) )


Dieffenbachia (dumb cane), renders the mouth particularly sore, and the
victim incapable of speech for some time, hence its common name. It is not
recommended to put any in the Mother-in-law's salad, or feed it to screaming
kids during the world cup, that would be really naughty.

Steve

list of poisonous plants
 

"H Ryder" wrote in message
...
I know that lots of plants are described as "poisonous" when in fact they
just give you a bit of a bad tummy, whilst others can be fatal. I have
small
children so am trying to rid the garden of anythign fatal to them but do
not
mind the "bad tummy" plants. Does anyone know where I can find out just
how
poisonous plants are? Am especially interested in Daphnes as I'd love to
have one but have avoided getting one as they seem "very poisonous" but I
am
not sure of this. Also please let me know of any common plant which is
fatal
to children - I know of Lords and Ladies (Acorus calamus ) and nightshade
but am not sure of others. (I also know that I can tell them not to eat
anything but that does not work in a garden full of raspberries etc - they
know that they can eat some stuff :) )

--
Hayley
(gardening on well drained, alkaline clay in Somerset)


The lethal dose of most things is related to the body weight of the
individual, so obviously small kids are most at risk.
Education will be the best form of defence but I agree that it is not a good
idea to have lethal plants.
The one that regularly gets the chop is Laburnum.
Please remember that just because a plant does not appear on a list of
nasties does not mean that it is totally harmless.

list of poisonous plants
 

In article . com,
writes:
|
| Google +plants +toxicity gives several useful sites. This one isn't too
| bad:
|
| http://envhort.ucdavis.edu/ce/king/P...nt/Tox-COM.htm

Sorry, but it's hysterical crap.

Apple/plum/etc. seeds, Amaranthus, Black Nightshade, Heather etc. are
category 1 - major toxicity - and I know that it is bullshit in all of
those cases.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

list of poisonous plants
 

Try educating your children

I am - that is why I do not mind plants such as holly which give you a bad
tummy. What I want to avoid is the risk of them eating something which could
kill them. Education is obviously a good thing but, to a three year old, a
red current and a berry from lords and ladies can look very similar :) so
given that I #can# try to minimise this risk by removing very toxic plants
from my garden I am trying to. Then I can give them free roam of teh garden,
tell them to ask before eating, and not worry too much :)

--
Hayley
(gardening on well drained, alkaline clay in Somerset)

list of poisonous plants
 

Dieffenbachia (dumb cane), renders the mouth particularly sore, and the
victim incapable of speech for some time, hence its common name.

sounds like a v useful plant :)

--
Hayley
(gardening on well drained, alkaline clay in Somerset)

list of poisonous plants
 

H Ryder wrote:
I know that lots of plants are described as "poisonous" when in fact they
just give you a bit of a bad tummy, whilst others can be fatal. I have small
children so am trying to rid the garden of anythign fatal to them but do not
mind the "bad tummy" plants. Does anyone know where I can find out just how
poisonous plants are? Am especially interested in Daphnes as I'd love to
have one but have avoided getting one as they seem "very poisonous" but I am
not sure of this. Also please let me know of any common plant which is fatal
to children - I know of Lords and Ladies (Acorus calamus ) and nightshade
but am not sure of others. (I also know that I can tell them not to eat
anything but that does not work in a garden full of raspberries etc - they
know that they can eat some stuff :) )

The RHS site has a pdf file of poisonous plants, though it's probably
easier to list what is NOT poisonous.
http://www.rhs.org.uk/research/docum..._e_harmful.pdf

If it's any consolation to you, I'm pretty certain there have been no
reported deaths from plant poisoning in absolutely years and years. I
can't say it's something I ever worried about with my children and they
seem to have survived. However, I would say that while you might well
want to avoid certain plants that are poisonous if ingested, I'd be at
least as cautious, if not more so, about plants whose sap or leaves can
irritate the skin. We no longer sell Rue here, because a customer who
had bought it from us and had it for a year, had read but ignored or
forgotten that the label warned it's a considerable skin irritant to
some people. She complained bitterly and made a really huge fuss and
it's just not worth the risk for us. Another plant to beware of
(though you're unlikely to grow it deliberately!) is Giant Hogweed.
Euphorbia sap is very irritating to some skins and even daffodils can
have the same effect.
This is another useful site
http://www.gardensearch.co.uk/harmfulplants.htm
and its introduction says
"The following list of potentially harmful plants has been based on
information contained in the Horticultural Retailers Code of Practice.
The Code is compiled by the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) who
have worked with the Poisons Unit at Guy's Hospital and The Royal
Botanic Gardens at Kew. "
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon

list of poisonous plants
 

In article ,
"H Ryder" writes:
| Try educating your children
|
| I am - that is why I do not mind plants such as holly which give you a bad
| tummy. What I want to avoid is the risk of them eating something which could
| kill them. Education is obviously a good thing but, to a three year old, a
| red current and a berry from lords and ladies can look very similar :) so
| given that I #can# try to minimise this risk by removing very toxic plants
| from my garden I am trying to. Then I can give them free roam of teh garden,
| tell them to ask before eating, and not worry too much :)

Heck - I got mine to ask such things well before they were three. I made
sure that the first time they did things without checking, the results
were unpleasant ....

And, as I said, a berry from Lords and Ladies will not kill them. Nor
would six berries, if I recall, but they wouldn't eat more than one, as
it is a strong irritant. Many plants are lethal, but only to people who
munch leaves at random - children aren't THAT stupid.

Laburnum and yew are almost the ONLY common plants that are similar to
food and lethal in the quantities that a child will normally eat - and
yew rarely produces berries on clipped plants. I can't think of another.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

list of poisonous plants
 

"Sacha" wrote in message
oups.com...

H Ryder wrote:
I know that lots of plants are described as "poisonous" when in fact they
just give you a bit of a bad tummy, whilst others can be fatal. I have
small
children so am trying to rid the garden of anythign fatal to them but do
not
mind the "bad tummy" plants. Does anyone know where I can find out just
how
poisonous plants are? Am especially interested in Daphnes as I'd love to
have one but have avoided getting one as they seem "very poisonous" but I
am
not sure of this. Also please let me know of any common plant which is
fatal
to children - I know of Lords and Ladies (Acorus calamus ) and nightshade
but am not sure of others. (I also know that I can tell them not to eat
anything but that does not work in a garden full of raspberries etc -
they
know that they can eat some stuff :) )

The RHS site has a pdf file of poisonous plants, though it's probably
easier to list what is NOT poisonous.
http://www.rhs.org.uk/research/docum..._e_harmful.pdf

If it's any consolation to you, I'm pretty certain there have been no
reported deaths from plant poisoning in absolutely years and years. I
can't say it's something I ever worried about with my children and they
seem to have survived. However, I would say that while you might well
want to avoid certain plants that are poisonous if ingested, I'd be at
least as cautious, if not more so, about plants whose sap or leaves can
irritate the skin. We no longer sell Rue here, because a customer who
had bought it from us and had it for a year, had read but ignored or
forgotten that the label warned it's a considerable skin irritant to
some people. She complained bitterly and made a really huge fuss and
it's just not worth the risk for us. Another plant to beware of
(though you're unlikely to grow it deliberately!) is Giant Hogweed.
Euphorbia sap is very irritating to some skins and even daffodils can
have the same effect.
This is another useful site
http://www.gardensearch.co.uk/harmfulplants.htm
and its introduction says
"The following list of potentially harmful plants has been based on
information contained in the Horticultural Retailers Code of Practice.
The Code is compiled by the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) who
have worked with the Poisons Unit at Guy's Hospital and The Royal
Botanic Gardens at Kew. "
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon

Those are useful links --thanks.
Are you getting at me by saying no one would deliberately grow Giant
Hogweed:-) Heracleum mantegazzianum , a grand name for a plant.
I grow the odd one each year.
Yes it can irritate the skin but it's not life threatening. I believe it's
main claim to fame is that it seeds prolifically and is invasive.
I have seen this plant grown as a solitary specimen at several of the
stately homes-so perhaps one just outside your tea room would look nice:-)

list of poisonous plants
 

Emmm... this is a subject I often think about, mainly because I have
limited knowledge about poisonous plants and because I know that I have
some in my garden which worries me at times, not because of my kids
though because they are older now but more because of our 8 month old
puppy who likes to chew things!

I have quite a bit of Monkshood growing in the garden which is very
pretty but is quite deadly, infact very deadly so I am told,
particularly the roots which can kill in minutes and look very much
like horse radish! I also have a lot of digitalis (fox gloves) and
also Euphorbia both of which are poisonous and this is particularly
worrying when you know they are poisonous but don't know the extent of
the damage they do. So I can understand your concern when you have
young children running around the garden, I would want to know exactly
what was what too Hayley.

The only thing I know enough about is the Monkshood and I would avoid
that completely or dig any up if you find it growing in your garden.
It's extremely deadly according to what I have read.

list of poisonous plants
 

In article .com,
"tom&barbara" writes:
|
| The only thing I know enough about is the Monkshood and I would avoid
| that completely or dig any up if you find it growing in your garden.
| It's extremely deadly according to what I have read.

And remember to never grow dwarf, French or runner beans, tomatoes,
potatoes, rhubarb or horseradish.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

list of poisonous plants
 

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...
:
: In article .com,
: "tom&barbara" writes:
: |
: | The only thing I know enough about is the Monkshood and I would avoid
: | that completely or dig any up if you find it growing in your garden.
: | It's extremely deadly according to what I have read.
:
: And remember to never grow dwarf, French or runner beans, tomatoes,
: potatoes, rhubarb or horseradish.
:
That one tickled me, well done .. are horse radish leaves poisonous? ... I
never knew that so I'd better stop chewing them lol

list of poisonous plants
 

In article ,
"Robert" writes:
|
| : And remember to never grow dwarf, French or runner beans, tomatoes,
| : potatoes, rhubarb or horseradish.
| :
| That one tickled me, well done .. are horse radish leaves poisonous? ... I
| never knew that so I'd better stop chewing them lol

Apparently quite seriously so, but the information came from the same
sort of source that classifies apple pips as a major danger, so believe
it as you will. The others I am surer about.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

list of poisonous plants
 

list of poisonous plants
 

Rupert (W.Yorkshire) wrote:
"Sacha" wrote in message
oups.com...

H Ryder wrote:
I know that lots of plants are described as "poisonous" when in fact they
just give you a bit of a bad tummy, whilst others can be fatal. I have
small
children so am trying to rid the garden of anythign fatal to them but do
not
mind the "bad tummy" plants. Does anyone know where I can find out just
how
poisonous plants are? Am especially interested in Daphnes as I'd love to
have one but have avoided getting one as they seem "very poisonous" but I
am
not sure of this. Also please let me know of any common plant which is
fatal
to children - I know of Lords and Ladies (Acorus calamus ) and nightshade
but am not sure of others. (I also know that I can tell them not to eat
anything but that does not work in a garden full of raspberries etc -
they
know that they can eat some stuff :) )

The RHS site has a pdf file of poisonous plants, though it's probably
easier to list what is NOT poisonous.
http://www.rhs.org.uk/research/docum..._e_harmful.pdf

If it's any consolation to you, I'm pretty certain there have been no
reported deaths from plant poisoning in absolutely years and years. I
can't say it's something I ever worried about with my children and they
seem to have survived. However, I would say that while you might well
want to avoid certain plants that are poisonous if ingested, I'd be at
least as cautious, if not more so, about plants whose sap or leaves can
irritate the skin. We no longer sell Rue here, because a customer who
had bought it from us and had it for a year, had read but ignored or
forgotten that the label warned it's a considerable skin irritant to
some people. She complained bitterly and made a really huge fuss and
it's just not worth the risk for us. Another plant to beware of
(though you're unlikely to grow it deliberately!) is Giant Hogweed.
Euphorbia sap is very irritating to some skins and even daffodils can
have the same effect.
This is another useful site
http://www.gardensearch.co.uk/harmfulplants.htm
and its introduction says
"The following list of potentially harmful plants has been based on
information contained in the Horticultural Retailers Code of Practice.
The Code is compiled by the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) who
have worked with the Poisons Unit at Guy's Hospital and The Royal
Botanic Gardens at Kew. "
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon

Those are useful links --thanks.
Are you getting at me by saying no one would deliberately grow Giant
Hogweed:-) Heracleum mantegazzianum , a grand name for a plant.
I grow the odd one each year.
Yes it can irritate the skin but it's not life threatening. I believe it's
main claim to fame is that it seeds prolifically and is invasive.
I have seen this plant grown as a solitary specimen at several of the
stately homes-so perhaps one just outside your tea room would look nice:-)

You claim to be a novice gardener but says that you grow Giant Hogweed
"the odd one each year".
But you want us to believe you're concerned about the safety of
children. Hmmmmm. I think not.
My apologies, Nick. You were right. One guess as to who this poster
is.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon

list of poisonous plants
 

And remember to never grow dwarf, French or runner beans, tomatoes,
potatoes, rhubarb or horseradish.

I know that we are all having a laugh here :) but you are sort of making my
point for me. There probably are some things out there which really are
nasty - i.e. things which could kill a child if they eat a bit. However
trying to get information which tells you which things you really should
avoid seems impossible as most lists have things like the above listed along
side really nasty things.

--
Hayley
(gardening on well drained, alkaline clay in Somerset)

list of poisonous plants
 

"H Ryder" wrote in
:

I know that lots of plants are described as "poisonous" when in fact
they just give you a bit of a bad tummy, whilst others can be fatal. I
have small children so am trying to rid the garden of anythign fatal
to them but do not mind the "bad tummy" plants. Does anyone know where
I can find out just how poisonous plants are? Am especially interested
in Daphnes as I'd love to have one but have avoided getting one as
they seem "very poisonous" but I am not sure of this. Also please let
me know of any common plant which is fatal to children - I know of
Lords and Ladies (Acorus calamus ) and nightshade but am not sure of
others. (I also know that I can tell them not to eat anything but that
does not work in a garden full of raspberries etc - they know that
they can eat some stuff :) )

Are you also going to make sure they never go for a
walk in the countryside because they might find exactly
those things?

And don't forget to prevent them going into the garden
until after you've checked there aren't any fungi growing
(ergot and cordyceps militaris being two of the lesser
known but more entertaining examples :)

Can't wrap them in cotton wool forever, even though I know
that particular temptation.

list of poisonous plants
 

"Sacha" wrote in
oups.com:

Another plant to beware of
(though you're unlikely to grow it deliberately!) is Giant Hogweed.
Euphorbia sap is very irritating to some skins and even daffodils can
have the same effect.


Don't forget sumac, which is irritating for the same reason
that poison ivy and poison oak are irritating.

list of poisonous plants
 

You claim to be a novice gardener but says that you grow Giant Hogweed
"the odd one each year".
But you want us to believe you're concerned about the safety of
children. Hmmmmm.

just to clarify it is me (Hayley) concerned about the children down in
Somerset and Rupert (in Yorkshire) growing the hogweed :)

--
Hayley
(gardening on well drained, alkaline clay in Somerset)

list of poisonous plants
 

"Sacha" wrote in message
oups.com...

Rupert (W.Yorkshire) wrote:
"Sacha" wrote in message
oups.com...

H Ryder wrote:
I know that lots of plants are described as "poisonous" when in fact
they
just give you a bit of a bad tummy, whilst others can be fatal. I have
small
children so am trying to rid the garden of anythign fatal to them but
do
not
mind the "bad tummy" plants. Does anyone know where I can find out
just
how
poisonous plants are? Am especially interested in Daphnes as I'd love
to
have one but have avoided getting one as they seem "very poisonous"
but I
am
not sure of this. Also please let me know of any common plant which is
fatal
to children - I know of Lords and Ladies (Acorus calamus ) and
nightshade
but am not sure of others. (I also know that I can tell them not to
eat
anything but that does not work in a garden full of raspberries etc -
they
know that they can eat some stuff :) )

The RHS site has a pdf file of poisonous plants, though it's probably
easier to list what is NOT poisonous.
http://www.rhs.org.uk/research/docum..._e_harmful.pdf

If it's any consolation to you, I'm pretty certain there have been no
reported deaths from plant poisoning in absolutely years and years. I
can't say it's something I ever worried about with my children and they
seem to have survived. However, I would say that while you might well
want to avoid certain plants that are poisonous if ingested, I'd be at
least as cautious, if not more so, about plants whose sap or leaves can
irritate the skin. We no longer sell Rue here, because a customer who
had bought it from us and had it for a year, had read but ignored or
forgotten that the label warned it's a considerable skin irritant to
some people. She complained bitterly and made a really huge fuss and
it's just not worth the risk for us. Another plant to beware of
(though you're unlikely to grow it deliberately!) is Giant Hogweed.
Euphorbia sap is very irritating to some skins and even daffodils can
have the same effect.
This is another useful site
http://www.gardensearch.co.uk/harmfulplants.htm
and its introduction says
"The following list of potentially harmful plants has been based on
information contained in the Horticultural Retailers Code of Practice.
The Code is compiled by the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) who
have worked with the Poisons Unit at Guy's Hospital and The Royal
Botanic Gardens at Kew. "
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon

Those are useful links --thanks.
Are you getting at me by saying no one would deliberately grow Giant
Hogweed:-) Heracleum mantegazzianum , a grand name for a plant.
I grow the odd one each year.
Yes it can irritate the skin but it's not life threatening. I believe
it's
main claim to fame is that it seeds prolifically and is invasive.
I have seen this plant grown as a solitary specimen at several of the
stately homes-so perhaps one just outside your tea room would look
nice:-)

You claim to be a novice gardener but says that you grow Giant Hogweed
"the odd one each year".
But you want us to believe you're concerned about the safety of
children. Hmmmmm. I think not.
My apologies, Nick. You were right. One guess as to who this poster
is.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon

Tis me Rupert. I do not claim to be a novice gardener. Yep I do grow the odd
one each year and yes I am concerned about the safety of anyone but as I
said the sap is not life threatening.
With whom were you and Nick (Maclaren?) confusing me with.

list of poisonous plants
 

"H Ryder" wrote in message
...
You claim to be a novice gardener but says that you grow Giant Hogweed
"the odd one each year".
But you want us to believe you're concerned about the safety of
children. Hmmmmm.

just to clarify it is me (Hayley) concerned about the children down in
Somerset and Rupert (in Yorkshire) growing the hogweed :)

--
Hayley
(gardening on well drained, alkaline clay in Somerset)


Ah I see--you are confused by the Sacha post also?
I do like children really it's just that I like Hogweed even more.

list of poisonous plants
 

Rupert (W.Yorkshire) wrote:
"Sacha" wrote in message
oups.com...

Rupert (W.Yorkshire) wrote:
"Sacha" wrote in message
oups.com...

H Ryder wrote:
I know that lots of plants are described as "poisonous" when in fact
they
just give you a bit of a bad tummy, whilst others can be fatal. I have
small
children so am trying to rid the garden of anythign fatal to them but
do
not
mind the "bad tummy" plants. Does anyone know where I can find out
just
how
poisonous plants are? Am especially interested in Daphnes as I'd love
to
have one but have avoided getting one as they seem "very poisonous"
but I
am
not sure of this. Also please let me know of any common plant which is
fatal
to children - I know of Lords and Ladies (Acorus calamus ) and
nightshade
but am not sure of others. (I also know that I can tell them not to
eat
anything but that does not work in a garden full of raspberries etc -
they
know that they can eat some stuff :) )

The RHS site has a pdf file of poisonous plants, though it's probably
easier to list what is NOT poisonous.
http://www.rhs.org.uk/research/docum..._e_harmful.pdf

If it's any consolation to you, I'm pretty certain there have been no
reported deaths from plant poisoning in absolutely years and years. I
can't say it's something I ever worried about with my children and they
seem to have survived. However, I would say that while you might well
want to avoid certain plants that are poisonous if ingested, I'd be at
least as cautious, if not more so, about plants whose sap or leaves can
irritate the skin. We no longer sell Rue here, because a customer who
had bought it from us and had it for a year, had read but ignored or
forgotten that the label warned it's a considerable skin irritant to
some people. She complained bitterly and made a really huge fuss and
it's just not worth the risk for us. Another plant to beware of
(though you're unlikely to grow it deliberately!) is Giant Hogweed.
Euphorbia sap is very irritating to some skins and even daffodils can
have the same effect.
This is another useful site
http://www.gardensearch.co.uk/harmfulplants.htm
and its introduction says
"The following list of potentially harmful plants has been based on
information contained in the Horticultural Retailers Code of Practice.
The Code is compiled by the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) who
have worked with the Poisons Unit at Guy's Hospital and The Royal
Botanic Gardens at Kew. "
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon

Those are useful links --thanks.
Are you getting at me by saying no one would deliberately grow Giant
Hogweed:-) Heracleum mantegazzianum , a grand name for a plant.
I grow the odd one each year.
Yes it can irritate the skin but it's not life threatening. I believe
it's
main claim to fame is that it seeds prolifically and is invasive.
I have seen this plant grown as a solitary specimen at several of the
stately homes-so perhaps one just outside your tea room would look
nice:-)

You claim to be a novice gardener but says that you grow Giant Hogweed
"the odd one each year".
But you want us to believe you're concerned about the safety of
children. Hmmmmm. I think not.
My apologies, Nick. You were right. One guess as to who this poster
is.

Tis me Rupert. I do not claim to be a novice gardener. Yep I do grow the odd
one each year and yes I am concerned about the safety of anyone but as I
said the sap is not life threatening.
With whom were you and Nick (Maclaren?) confusing me with.

I must apologise to Hayley. I read your post as coming from her and
as a couple of other trolls here have made constant slighting
references to our tea room etc., I thought it was one of them up to
their old tricks.
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.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon

list of poisonous plants
 

"Sacha" wrote in message
oups.com...

Rupert (W.Yorkshire) wrote:
"Sacha" wrote in message
oups.com...

Rupert (W.Yorkshire) wrote:
"Sacha" wrote in message
oups.com...

H Ryder wrote:
I know that lots of plants are described as "poisonous" when in
fact
they
just give you a bit of a bad tummy, whilst others can be fatal. I
have
small
children so am trying to rid the garden of anythign fatal to them
but
do
not
mind the "bad tummy" plants. Does anyone know where I can find out
just
how
poisonous plants are? Am especially interested in Daphnes as I'd
love
to
have one but have avoided getting one as they seem "very poisonous"
but I
am
not sure of this. Also please let me know of any common plant which
is
fatal
to children - I know of Lords and Ladies (Acorus calamus ) and
nightshade
but am not sure of others. (I also know that I can tell them not to
eat
anything but that does not work in a garden full of raspberries
etc -
they
know that they can eat some stuff :) )

The RHS site has a pdf file of poisonous plants, though it's
probably
easier to list what is NOT poisonous.
http://www.rhs.org.uk/research/docum..._e_harmful.pdf

If it's any consolation to you, I'm pretty certain there have been
no
reported deaths from plant poisoning in absolutely years and years.
I
can't say it's something I ever worried about with my children and
they
seem to have survived. However, I would say that while you might
well
want to avoid certain plants that are poisonous if ingested, I'd be
at
least as cautious, if not more so, about plants whose sap or leaves
can
irritate the skin. We no longer sell Rue here, because a customer
who
had bought it from us and had it for a year, had read but ignored or
forgotten that the label warned it's a considerable skin irritant to
some people. She complained bitterly and made a really huge fuss
and
it's just not worth the risk for us. Another plant to beware of
(though you're unlikely to grow it deliberately!) is Giant Hogweed.
Euphorbia sap is very irritating to some skins and even daffodils
can
have the same effect.
This is another useful site
http://www.gardensearch.co.uk/harmfulplants.htm
and its introduction says
"The following list of potentially harmful plants has been based on
information contained in the Horticultural Retailers Code of
Practice.
The Code is compiled by the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA)
who
have worked with the Poisons Unit at Guy's Hospital and The Royal
Botanic Gardens at Kew. "
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon

Those are useful links --thanks.
Are you getting at me by saying no one would deliberately grow Giant
Hogweed:-) Heracleum mantegazzianum , a grand name for a plant.
I grow the odd one each year.
Yes it can irritate the skin but it's not life threatening. I believe
it's
main claim to fame is that it seeds prolifically and is invasive.
I have seen this plant grown as a solitary specimen at several of the
stately homes-so perhaps one just outside your tea room would look
nice:-)

You claim to be a novice gardener but says that you grow Giant Hogweed
"the odd one each year".
But you want us to believe you're concerned about the safety of
children. Hmmmmm. I think not.
My apologies, Nick. You were right. One guess as to who this poster
is.

Tis me Rupert. I do not claim to be a novice gardener. Yep I do grow the
odd
one each year and yes I am concerned about the safety of anyone but as I
said the sap is not life threatening.
With whom were you and Nick (Maclaren?) confusing me with.

I must apologise to Hayley. I read your post as coming from her and
as a couple of other trolls here have made constant slighting
references to our tea room etc., I thought it was one of them up to
their old tricks.
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.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon


Ah that explains that thanks. I hope Nick also understands the confusion.
I shall in future refer to your refreshment room as a cafe:-)
I do agree with the potential dangers of Hogweed but as I said earlier the
sap is not life threatening and could not be described as highly toxic in
the sense of causing death which is what I thought Hayley was asking.
Agreed that I would not recommend it as a child/anyone friendly plant.

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.

list of poisonous plants
 

In article 7,
Tom Gardner writes:
|
| Heh. When I was I kid my father said yew berries were
| edible. I asked if both the red flesh and the hard
| "kernel" were edible and he said it was probably better
| not to eat the kernel.
|
| So I only ate the red flesh, and only of one berry.
| Just as well really.

The red flesh is very mildly poisonous (as is horseradish root, rhubarb,
sorrel, rue, many beans, potatoes etc.), but the actual seed is deadly.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

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

list of poisonous plants
 

Nick Maclaren wrote:
The red flesh is very mildly poisonous (as is horseradish root, rhubarb,
sorrel, rue, many beans, potatoes etc.), but the actual seed is deadly.

YUMMMmmm sorrel. Brought lots back from France a couple of weeks ago.
Planting them in this week end. Can't wait for the soup!

If someone want seeds, I'll swap for something else with them.

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)

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.

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.

list of poisonous plants
 

H Ryder writes
And remember to never grow dwarf, French or runner beans, tomatoes,
potatoes, rhubarb or horseradish.

I know that we are all having a laugh here :) but you are sort of making my
point for me. There probably are some things out there which really are
nasty - i.e. things which could kill a child if they eat a bit. However
trying to get information which tells you which things you really should
avoid seems impossible as most lists have things like the above listed along
side really nasty things.

I'd always thought that most of the potato plant is 'really nasty' - am
I wrong? Does it merely come into the bad tummy ache' category?
--
Kay

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

list of poisonous plants
 

In article ,
K writes:
|
| I'd always thought that most of the potato plant is 'really nasty' - am
| I wrong? Does it merely come into the bad tummy ache' category?

You're right - it's deadly. But it is also as bitter as gall.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

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?

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

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.

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.

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.