Toxic Plant List

The amount of poison in a plant tends to vary with the location, age of the plant, season and weather conditions. In some plants, the toxin is confined only to certain parts. Additionally, plants normally considered non-toxic may have been treated with an insecticide, making them toxic. The following plants may cause toxic symptoms when ingested. Included are plants which may cause dermatitis when handled.

HOUSE PLANTS:	Asparagus Fern (asparagus plumosus) (sprengeri) Avocado (persea americana) Blue Gum (eucalyptus globulus) Buddist Pine (poddocarpus Macrophyllus) Cacti: Bunny Ears (opuntia microdasy's alkispina) Column (cereus peruvianus) Rat's Tail (aporocactus flagelliformis) Sunset (lokwia famatimensis) Caladium (Angel's Wings) Century Plant Crown of Thorns (euphorbia milii splendens) Cyclamen Dieffenbachia Holly (ilex) Ivy: Cape (tenecio macroglossus) English (hedera helix) German (senecio mikanioides) Glacier (hedera helix glacier) Gloire de Marengo (hedera canariensis) Needlepoint (hedera helix sagittlae folica) Jerusalem Cherry (solanum pseudocapsicum) Mistletoe (phoradendron flavescens) Philodendron: Arrowhead (syngonium podophyllum) Black Gold ( ph. melanochryson) Devil's Ivy (Pothos) (scindapsus aureus) Elephant's Ear (philodendron hastatum) Fiddle Leaf (ph. pandurae forme) Green Gold (syngonium podophyllum) Marble Queen (scindapsus aureus) Ornamental Pepper (capsicum annuum) Silver Vine (scindapsus pictus) Split Leaf (monstera delicosa) Sweetheart Vine (philodendron scandens) Red (hemigraphis colorata) Umbrella Plant (cyperus)
GARDEN:	Azalea (azalea indica) Bleeding Heart (dicentra formosa) Calla Lily (zantedeschia aethiopica) Carnation (dianthus caryophyllus) Castor-oil plant (ricinus communis) Chinese or Japanese Lantern (physalis) Chrysanthemum Clematis Crocus (colchicum autumnale) Daffodil (narcissus) Delphineum Foxglove (digitalis purpurea) Gladiola (bulb) Hyacinthe (hyacinthus orientalis) Iris Jonquil (narcissus) Lily of the Valley (convallaria) Morning Glory (ipomaea tricolour) Narcissus Oleander (nerium oleander) Pansy (seeds) (viola tricolour) Peony (root) (paeonia officinalis) Primrose (primula) Sweet Pea (lathyrus odoratus) Sweet William (dianthus barbatus)
UNINDENTIFIED WILD MUSHROOMS:	Should be considered toxic until identified by a mycologist.
VEGETABLES:	Potato (green patches on tubers & above ground part) Rhubarb leaves Tomato greens
HEDGES & BUSHES:	Black Locust (robinia pseudoacacia) Buckthorn (rhamnus cathartica) Cherry Laurel (laurocerasus officinalis) Daphne (daphne mezereum) Elderberry (not berries) Horse Chestnut (aesculus hippocastanum) Hydrangea Laburnum (laburnum anagyroides) Privet (ligustrum vulgare) Virginia Creeper (ampelopis brevipedunculata)

FOURTEEN WAYS TO AVOID PLANT POISONING

1. Become familiar with the dangerous plants in your area, yard and home. Know them by sight and name.
2. Do not eat wild plants and mushrooms.
3. Keep plants, seeds, fruits and bulbs away from children.
4. Teach children at an early age to keep unknown plants and plant parts out of their mouths. Make them aware of the potential danger of poisonous plants.
5. Teach children to recognize poison ivy.
6. Be certain you know the plants used as skewars for meat or marshmallows.
7. Do not allow children to suck nectar from flowers or make "tea" from leaves.
8. Know the plant before eating its fruits or berries.
9. Do not rely on pets, birds or squirrels to indicate non-poisonous plants.
10. Avoid smoke from burning plants.
11. Remember, heating and cooking do not always destroy the toxic substance.
12. Store labelled bulbs and seeds safely away from children and pets.
13. Do not make homemade medicines from native or cultivated plants.
14. Remember, there are no safe "tests" or "rules of thumb" for distinguishing edible from poisonous plants.

First Aid (Well Beings, Canadian Paediatric Society, 1992, p. 238) Call the local poison centre, hospital emergency or a physician. [If you are a caregiver] call the child's parents If the child needs to go to the emergency department, take along a sample of what the child swallowed (such as the piece of the plant) if possible.

The information on toxic plants has been reprinted from the pamphlet TOXIC PLANT LIST, with the permission of The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa, Ontario. The section on First Aid has been reprinted from Well Beings: A Guide to Promote the Health, Safety and Emotional Well-Being of Children in Child Care Centres and Family Day Care Homes, with the permission of the Canadian Paediatric Society.

This Resource Sheet was published by the Canadian Child Care Federation, September 1993.

Posted by: the Canadian Child Care Federation, September 1996.

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