Resources for poisonous plants.

For help to identify a plant, try these web pages first.

Cornell University Search by Botanical or Common Name
USDA - Plants by Toxic Syndrome
 

Other useful sites.
Poisonous Plant of Canada
Poisonous Plant of North Carolina
Plants Poisonous to Animals
Wikipedia Poisonous Plants

If you can identify the plant, and want information about what to do for a possible poisoning click on this link.

Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center

Or call one of these emergency numbers.

In Metro Denver call 303-739-1123
Outside Denver call 800-332-3073

 The Myth of the Poisonous Poinsettia

Some reports about poisonous holiday plants are as mythical as tales of Santa, says a Penn State horticulturist.

"Certain holiday plants believed to be fatal if eaten are relatively harmless, while others are truly toxic," says J. Robert Nuss, professor of ornamental horticulture in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. "Of course, children and pets can't make the distinction between what's dangerous and what isn't. It's best to keep all plants out of their reach."

Many people persist in believing that the most popular Christmas plant, the poinsettia, is extremely poisonous.

About 20 years ago, two Ohio State researchers fed large quantities of poinsettia parts to rats, with no ill effects. In 1975, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission exonerated the poinsettia of the false charge that it's lethal if ingested.

The commission also refuted allegations that the berries of American mistletoe are fatal if eaten. "But that doesn't mean mistletoe berries are edible," says Nuss. "Mistletoe should be hung out of the reach of children and pets, and berries that drop should be removed from the floor immediately."