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
ASPCA Toxic &
Nontoxic Plants for Dogs, Cats & Horses
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."