Saturday, January 12, 2008

Toxic Indoor Plants


I thought it might be worthy to provide some useful info about toxic indoor plants. If nothing else, this makes me feel better about my black thumbs and the plants I usually kill.

If you're not sure what plants you have, Google the name and select "image" at the top of Google's top nav to match the appropriate plant image to this list. Make sure to check your house for the following indoor plants:

Amaryllis - Stomach and intestinal upset (vomiting, diarrhea)
Azalea - Incoordination, trembling, collapse
Cactus - Punctures skin, infection
Caladium - Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, shaking head, difficulty breathing
Creeping Charlie - Vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, cramps
Easter Lily - All parts can cause kidney failure
Dieffenbachia - Affects central nervous system
Ivy - Vomiting, diarrhea, excitable behavior
Mistletoe - Ingesting berries can cause vomiting, diarrhea, blistering in the mouth, difficulty breathing
Philodendron - Same as Caladium
Poinsettia - Same as Mistletoe

This list is not exhaustive, but I believe one can find that the plants listed above are the most common plants around the house at the holidays, some may even be found in pretty arrangements for delivery.

Within the animal poision control center, ASPCA has a good list that does a decent job of explaining the type of plant one might have -even photos when available.

ASPCA Toxic Plants

0 comments: