Poisonous Plants

A great link for safe plant information;http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/

Safe Gardening

Wendy C. Brooks, DVM, DABVP
Mar Vista Animal Medical Center

ARE ANY OF THE PLANTS IN YOUR YARD POISONOUS TO YOUR PETS?

Poisonous plants can mean disaster for the family pet. Check this link to: The Cornell University Toxic Plant Index. All pet owners should bookmark this site, which has photographs of plants that are poisonous to pets.

Following are just a few examples:

Iris

Oleander

Rhubarb

GARDEN TIPS

TN_IMG01298_170X170Y Just helping out with a little gardeningThe garden shops and catalogs are full of gorgeous garden shrubs and flowers. They tell us how to water and how much sunshine is needed, but rarely do they tell us if the plant is pet safe.Your dog or cat is probably having visions of digging through or chewing up the plants. We’ll leave the fencing and reprimanding up to you, but just to be on the safe side, how about planting only non-toxic plants? If unplanned periodic demolition of the garden by the family dog is a fact of life, it is good to know the plants he or she is chewing up are non-toxic. It may not help the garden any, but knowing your pet isn’t going to get sick because of it is one less thing to worry about. It’s good to know what is considered safe should the family pet get frisky and start chewing and digging in the flower beds.We’ll try to help out.

The following plants are considered safe:

Hollyhocks Carnival Mix (Alcea species) Hollyhocks Carnival Mix
(Alcea species) Polka Dot Plant (Hypoestes Sanguinolata) Polka Dot Plant
(Hypoestes Sanguinolata) Hollyhocks Peaches (Alcea species) Hollyhocks Peaches
(Alcea species)

Coleus Coleus Honeysuckle Alabama (Lonicera species) Honeysuckle Alabama
(Lonicera species) Honeysuckle John Clayton (Lonicera species) Honeysuckle John Clayton
(Lonicera species)

Catnip (Nepeta cataria)

Catnip Garden

Catnip was brought to America by early colonists and was considered to be a commercial crop. Numerous medical properties have been ascribed to catnip and it has been used in teas, soaks, and poultices. Today its uses are largely confined to feline entertainment as its active ingredient, cis-trans-nepetalactone, is a mild hallucinogen. Rubbing, rolling, and other merry-making are produced, though one should be careful as aggressive behavior is often made worse by catnip indulgence.Catnip BudResponse to catnip is inherited genetically as a dominant trait which means that not all cats will be affected. Kittens under age 6-8 weeks are not able to respond.

Catnip is felt to be a safe and non-addictive recreational drug for cats but there is some thinking that overdose can produce seizures. For this reason, it is best not used in cats with a history of seizures. Chronic exposure to catnip may cause an apparent loss of mental faculty and possibly personality change.

Catnip can be a fun garden plant if the climate is right but can quickly turn into a weed problem if one is not careful. Catnip should be considered an occasional treat for cats able to respond to it.

Pampas GrassPrimroseStar Jasmine

Maidenhair FernGrape HyacinthZebra Plant

Common GardeniaHardy GloxiniaRose of Sharon - Shrub Althaea or Rose of Sharon

Asparagus FernBottlebrush

One of the problems with knowing what plants are safe for your pets is that many different plants have the same common name. There are many plants that use the name "wandering jew"; but the one we have confirmed the non-toxicity of is Zebrina pendula. There are also several diffent plants that are called African Daisies; the one pictured here as safe is of the genus Dimorphotheca. The non-toxic Resurrection Lily (also called the Varigated Peacock Ginger) is a safe plant. The name "resurrection lily" has also been applied to the Lycoris genus of lily. Many types of lily are toxic and we do not have information on the Lycoris lilies.

Resurrection Lily - Variegated Peacock Ginger Resurrection Lily
Variegated
Peacock GingerAfrican Daisy - Genus Dimorphotheca also called Cape Marigold Wandering Jew - Zebrina Pendula Wandering Jew
Zebrina
Pendula

Sanvitalia Creeping Zinnia (Sanvitalia procumbens) Scarlett Sage (Salvia Coccinea) Scarlett Sage
(Salvia Coccinea)Chinese Windmill Palm (Trachycarpus Fortunei)