Common Toxic and Poisonous Plants

Toxic and Poisonous Plants

Many of the plants with which we commonly landscape are toxic to humans and pets. Most accidental poisonings occur in children under 7 years of age and many of them are due to very young children eating the leaves, berries and flowers of common garden plants. It's important to know which plants in your yard may be harmful. It's also important to teach young children never to eat anything that Mom or Dad hasn't approved. Never assume that the plant your child has sampled is harmless. The following list is arranged alphabetically by common name. Taxonomic names are also given. The effects of these plants vary. Not all parts of every plant are harmful if eaten (you'll even notice some common foodstuffs listed) so it's important to have as much information at hand as possible when you call your local Poison Control Center or your doctor. Be Prepared When You Make Your Call: Remove any remaining material from the child's mouth and keep it. If the child has spit it out, collect the material so that you can identify what plant or part of the plant was ingested. If possible bring a sample of the plant to the phone to use for descriptive purposes. Have the child's age, weight and medical history available. Always keep an unexpired bottle of Syrup of Ipecac and one of activated charcoal suspension in the house. These are available from your local pharmacy and you may be told to go buy one of them, depending on what your child has ingested. NEVER GIVE EITHER MEDICATION TO A CHILD IWTHOUT BEING TOLD TO BY A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. Follow the instructions given by your doctor or Poison Control Center exactly. Answer all questions that you're asked. Try to remain patient even though it may seems that the call is taking a long time.
Common Name	*Taxonomic Name*
Alfalfa or Lucerne	Medicago sativa
Alsike Clover, Red Clover, White Clover	Trifolium spp.
Arrowgrass	Triglochin maritima
Baneberry and Doll's-eyes	Actaea spp.
Belladonna or Deadly Nightshade	Atropa belladonna
Birdsfoot Trefoil	Lotus corniculatus
Black Locust	Robinia pseudoacacia
Bleeding Heart, Squirrel Corn, Dutchman's Breeches	Dicentra spp.
Bloodroot	Sanquinaria canadensis
Bouncing Bet and Cow Cockle	Saponaria spp.
Bracken Fern	Pteridium aquilinium
Buckwheat	Fagoypyrum esculentum
Buttercups or Crowfoot	Ranunculus spp.
Castor Bean	Ricinus communis
Celandine	Chelidonium majus
Christmas Rose	Helleborus niger
Cocklebur	Xanthium strumarium
Commercial Onions, Wild Onions, Swamp Onions, and Chives	Allium spp.
Common Nightshade, Black Nightshade, Horse Nettle, Buffalo Bur Potato	Solanum spp.,
Common Vetch, Hairy Vetch, Narrow-leaved Vetch, Purple Vetch and Broad Beans	Vicia spp.
Corn Cockle	Agrostemma githago
Corn Lily, False Hellbore	Veratrum californicum
Crown Vetch	Coronilla varia
Daphne	Daphne spp.
Death Camas	Zigadenus spp.
Delphiniums and Larkspurs	Delphinium spp.
Dock	Rumex spp.
Dogbane	Apocynum spp.
Drooping Leucothoe and Sierra Laurel	Leucothoe axillaris and Leucothoe davisiae
Eastern Skunk Cabbage	Symplocarpus foetidus
Elderberry	Sambucus canadensis
Ergot	Claviceps spp.
Fiddleneck	Amsinckia intermedia
Flax	Linum usitatissimum
Foxglove	Digitalis purpurea
Golden Chain or Laburnum	Laburnum anagyroides
Great Lobelia, Cardinal Flower, and Indian Tobacco	Lobelia spp.
Ground Ivy, Creeping Charlie, and Gill-over-the-Ground	Glechoma spp.
Halogeton	Halogeton glomeratus
Henbane	Hyoscyanmus niger
Horse Chestnut, Buckeye	Aesculus spp.
Horsebrush	Tetradymia spp.
Horsetail	Equisetum arvense and other spp.
Irises	Iris spp.
Jack-in-the-Pulpit	Arisaema spp.
Japanese Pieris, Mountain Fetterbush	Pieris japonica and other spp.
Jessamine	Gelsemium sempervirens
Jimsonweed, Downy Thornapple, Devil's Trumpet, and Angel's Trumpet	Datura spp.
Lamb's Quarters	Chenopodium album
Lily-of-the-Valley	Convallaria majalis
Locoweed	Astragalus and Oxytropis spp.
Lupine	Lupinus spp.
Marijuana	Cannabis sativa
Marsh Marigold or Cowslip	Caltha palustris
Mayapple and Mandrake	Podophyllum peltatum
Milkweed	Asclepias spp
Monkey Agaric, Panther Cap, Death Cap, and Death Angel Mushrooms	Amanita spp.
Monkshood, Aconite, or Wolfsbane	Aconitum spp.
Moonseed	Menispermum canadense
Oak Trees	Quercus spp.
Oleander	Nerium oleander
Pigweed	Amaranthus spp.
Poinsettia, Spurges, Snow-on-the-Mountain	Euphorbia spp.
Poison Hemlock	Conium maculatum
Poison ivy	Toxicodendron radicans
Poison oak	Toxicodendron diversiloba
Poison Sumac	Toxicodendron vernix
Pokeweed	Phytolacca americana
Ponderosa Pine	Pinus ponderosa
Prickly Poppy or Mexican Poppy	Argemone mexicana
Rape, Cabbage, Turnips, Broccoli, Mustard	Brassica spp,
Red Sage, Yellow Sage, or West Indian Lantana	Lantana camara Lantana,
Rhubarb	Rheum rhaponticum
Rosary Pea	Abrus precatorius
Senecio, Groundsels, and Ragworts	Senecio spp.
Sensitive Fern	Onoclea sensibis
Sorghum or Milo, Sudan Grass, and Johnson Grass	Sorghum spp.
St. John's Wort	Hypericum perforatum
Star-of-Bethlehem	Ornithogalum umbellatum
Stinging Nettle	Urtica spp.
Sweet Pea, Tangier Pea, Everlasting Pea, Caley Pea and Singletary Pea	Lathyrus spp.
Tall Fescue	Festuca arundinacea
Tobacco and Tree Tobacco	Nicotiana spp.
Tung Oil Tree	Aleurites fordii
Various Poppies including Opium Poppy	Papaver spp.
Water Hemlock or Cowbane	Cicuta spp.
White and Yellow Sweetclover	Melilotus alba and Melilotus officinalis
White Snakeroot	Eupatorium rugosum
Wild Cherries, Black Cherry, Bitter Cherry, Choke Cherry, and Pin Cherry	Prunus spp.
Wisteria	Wisteria spp.
Yellow Star Thistle	Centaurea solstitialis
Yew	Taxus cuspidata
Links Indiana Plants Poisonous to Livestock and Pets University of Illinois Plants Poisonous to Animals University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine Poisonous Plants Directory Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System