I have a toddler and a medium-sized laburnum tree at the back of my garden,
which seems to produce a lot of seeds.

How poisonous are these seeds? They do seem to get everywhere. Would I be
best off getting rid of the tree?

(Obviously she isn't left to wander around the garden by herself, but she
does like shoving things in her mouth.)

ROSIE

"Rosie" wrote in message
...
I have a toddler and a medium-sized laburnum tree at the back of my
garden,
which seems to produce a lot of seeds.

How poisonous are these seeds? They do seem to get everywhere. Would I
be
best off getting rid of the tree?

(Obviously she isn't left to wander around the garden by herself, but she
does like shoving things in her mouth.)

ROSIE


According to a web search, as little as two seeds can produce symptoms, and
most places say its poisonous, down to parania about people wondering if the
wood is dangerous (well y4es but only if you eat it....) OTOH if its as
deadly as reported, how come actual deaths from it appear to be incredibly
rare?

This looks like a reasonable reference.
http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/spib/summer02.pdf

I did also find a lancet ref which said that it wasnt as dangerous as had
been feared. I suppose once people decide its dangerous no one is going to
bother to investigate exactly how dangerous,and if a horse dies from eating
loads of the stuff that is regarded as proof, rather than as proof of the
stupidity and or sensitivity of horses.

You might also, from a longer term POV, consider if it would be better to
teach her not to eat stuff she doesnt know is good, rather than try and
remove anything remotely dangerous, which is obviously impossible since you
can only affect whats in your garden. If you remove the tree, how will she
know not to eat the seeds from another laburnum elsewhere, or other 'pretty'
berries. Maybe in a couple of years time she'll be round a friends house
playing in the garden, what if they have a laburnum?,My parents drummed it
into me not to eat berries off trees or bushes unless I knew they were OK,
had they shorn the garden of all such plants, there would have been nothing
to warn me against :-)


--
Tumbleweed

Remove my socks for email address

The message
from "Rosie" contains these words:

I have a toddler and a medium-sized laburnum tree at the back of my garden,
which seems to produce a lot of seeds.

How poisonous are these seeds? They do seem to get everywhere. Would I be
best off getting rid of the tree?

No.

(Obviously she isn't left to wander around the garden by herself, but she
does like shoving things in her mouth.)

It's your job to make sure she doesn't!

--
AnneJ
ICQ #:- 119531282

All parts are very poisonous but taste terrible.
The fruits [pods] do look similar to miniature garden peas to a child and
that is the danger. Many other plants are as poisonous but don't look so
'grown up' or so familiar and tempting.
To remove or not must be your own decision~~the cut wood is most
attractive. I had adventurous children and several Laburnums with no ill
effect.
If the chid did manage to eat some [not very many] and swallow [without
spitting out] then would become ill to very ill.
I have found that children do take notice of warnings and don't 'try out
for themselves'.
Best Wishes
"Rosie" wrote in message
...
I have a toddler and a medium-sized laburnum tree at the back of my
garden,
which seems to produce a lot of seeds.

How poisonous are these seeds? They do seem to get everywhere. Would I
be
best off getting rid of the tree?

(Obviously she isn't left to wander around the garden by herself, but she
does like shoving things in her mouth.)

ROSIE

On Fri, 16 Apr 2004 22:03:25 +0100, "Rosie" wrote:

I have a toddler and a medium-sized laburnum tree at the back of my garden,
which seems to produce a lot of seeds.

How poisonous are these seeds? They do seem to get everywhere. Would I be
best off getting rid of the tree?

(Obviously she isn't left to wander around the garden by herself, but she
does like shoving things in her mouth.)

All parts of the laburnum are poisonous - though most cases of
poisoning come from children eating the unripened seed pods, which
resemble small pea pods.

Having said that, I've raised two toddlers so far with a laburnum in
the garden - in fact it's one of the trees the kids climb up - without
any incident. I've another toddler who'll be crawling round the garden
this summer - and to be honest I'm far more worried about the vicious
red ants we have in these parts, they pack one hell of a painful
sting.

There are many hazards in the garden - ranging from poisonous plants,
fungi, animal and bird droppings etc, but even toddlers will learn
quite quickly if you're on hand to administer a very stern and loud
NO!
Tends to result in a flood of tears, and breaks your heart, but
children will soon forget the pain - and remember the message, and
it's a message they'll take with them wherever they go.


I have tasted both the green pod and the ripe black seed as a child -
and I'm here to tell you that I really can't understand how anyone
could eat any sort of quantity of the things, they're both intensely
bitter.

It's a fine tree, with cool foliage and fantastic yellow blooms - so
it'd be a shame to lop it down.
Could you not perhaps prune it back hard this year? This would cut
down on the blooms, and with a suitable pair of long-handled shears
you might even be able to dead head the blooms ( if any ).

Ultimately though, it IS a poisonous plant - and I doubt many parents
would blame you if you preferred not to live with the risk.

Regards,



--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
http://www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{who is at}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk

"Rosie" wrote in message
...
I have a toddler and a medium-sized laburnum tree at the back of my
garden,
which seems to produce a lot of seeds.

How poisonous are these seeds? They do seem to get everywhere. Would I
be
best off getting rid of the tree?

(Obviously she isn't left to wander around the garden by herself, but she
does like shoving things in her mouth.)

ROSIE



If it was us, we would get rid of the tree.

Our daughter had a Laburnum tree over her pond. The seeds/pods dropped into
the pond. The fish died.

Mike (after taking advice from Joan)
--
H.M.S.Newfoundland Association Reunion Hayling Island April 23rd - 26th
Royal Naval Reunion Eastbourne May 7th - 10th
H.M.S.Collingwood Association Reunion Bracklesham Bay May 21st - 24th
Nat.Service (RAF) Assoc. Cosford Parade / Social Weekend 25th - 28th June

Rosie16/4/04 10:03
I have a toddler and a medium-sized laburnum tree at the back of my garden,
which seems to produce a lot of seeds.

How poisonous are these seeds? They do seem to get everywhere. Would I be
best off getting rid of the tree?

(Obviously she isn't left to wander around the garden by herself, but she
does like shoving things in her mouth.)

To be honest, only you can figure out how much this is going to worry you.
Laburnums are poisonous but you might want to ring up either the RHS or e.g.
Great Ormond Street Hospital to get some figures on how many children have
died or even been taken seriously ill from eating any part of this plant.
The warnings must be given, IMO but the actualities are another matter.

I brought up 3 children of my own and now have a grand daughter and I think
I can fairly say that I am *very* safety conscious - very - and we have just
planted a short laburnum arch in our garden. You simply don't allow a small
child to wander a garden alone - our grand daughter loves the bright red
berries of cuckoo pint and picked several last year - but because one of us
was always with her, she didn't get them as far as her mouth and was taught
firmly that they are not to be touched. She has now learned that going to
the fish pond without a grown up is a no-no and that's because I am *very*
strict with her about that - but never complacent.

I have never once had a child related to me (or any other child for that
matter) ingest or be affected by any poisonous plant but I have had alarms
with nearly all of them picking up and stuffing in their mouths bits and
pieces they've found or picked up e.g. coins, rubbers, pencils, small toys,
bits of chewed paper and a few serious attempts on things like paper clips.
I once read of a very small baby choking to death on a piece of tissue
handkerchief with which its father had wiped its mouth. But death by plant
material? Never, in my experience..

--

Sacha
(remove the weeds to email me)

Quote from the RHS Gardening Manual

"Unsuitable for a family garden as all parts are toxic if eaten"

Mike (& Joan)