Do You Have Poison House Plants?

Toxicity Types

Symptoms of plant toxicity vary from a mild rash, to vomiting, to diarrhea, to blindness, to heart arrhythmia, to paralysis, to –in the rarest cases –death. Different people may react to plant compounds differently, similar to an allergic reaction. Where one person develops inflammation that lingers, another may only have a mild rash that quickly dissipates. In other cases, the reaction is consistent among all individuals.

The most typical houseplant toxicity reaction is dermatitis –some kind of rash that might also feature stinging, burning, redness or itchiness. Another large group of houseplants contains calcium oxalate crystals. Eating a leaf from these plants is similar to chewing a piece of fiberglass. The crystals stab you, producing pain and swelling in the mouth, tongue, throat and stomach. Strongest reactions involve breathing difficulties. Some plants possess a stronger toxicity that interferes with breathing, heart rhythms, or nerve or kidney function.

With many plants, to suffer the most severe reaction, you'd have to ingest a huge portion of a plant (or several plants). For instance, Amaryllis bulbs are poisonous, producing nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but the majority of a bulb would have to be consumed to produce symptoms.
Other plants, like Poinsettia, have been wrongly labeled as poisonous when, in fact, they aren't. While some individuals may have an allergic reaction to the sap, most don't. Poinsettias do, however, belong to a plant family that contains strongly toxic members, like the Lesser Candelabra Tree,which causes a toxic reaction if you merely smell the vaporsfrom a cut or broken stem.

Minimize Toxic Reactions

Whether you're watering, repotting, or simply admiring your houseplants, take precautions to protect yourself against toxic reactions.

• Wear disposable gloves when pruning or repotting.
• Always wash your hands after handling plants. If you have a plant that you know elicits a dermatitis reaction, wash your hands several times.
• Keep plants out of reach of young children and pets.
• Instruct children never to place leaves, flowers or seeds in their mouths.
• Dispose of water you have used for fresh cut flowers or rooting cuttings. (Some plants infuse water with poison.)
• Post the poison control number in an easily visible spot:

          -1-800-222-1222 for children and adults
          -1-800-213-6680 for the Pet Poison Helpline (a $35 fee applies)

¹-It's safe to assume similar symptoms with dogs and cats. Documented toxicities to pets are listed. With reptiles, if you're looking for plants to include in an enclosure, avoid plants that cause dermatitis when working with larger animals that could lie on plants and crush them, releasing toxins to skin.

²-Similar symptoms produced by ingesting Chinese Evergreen,Butterfly Plant, Anthurium and Caladium.

Safe Plants