This is a warning for people with young children and pets that the Easter Lily is just one of eight common houseplants that are toxic. For some of these plants the poison is contained in the bulbs or leaves and so should not be eaten. For others it is the sap that is the problem and can cause severe irritation and a rash if it comes into contact with your skin. Apart from these houseplants there are some twenty-one other garden plants that are toxic to a greater or lesser extent. You can read the complete list in an article by Patty McDermitt which I found on the Master Gardeners website.
What I mean when I say, “Some Plants are Evil” is that not all plants have what I would call a good purpose. Some plants kill, poison, invade, intoxicate, create pain, are dangerous to human or pets, or are offensive in some way. Wicked plants are everywhere in the world and some are well known and others are well-hidden secrets. I hope to address some of these plants to help us better understand the uses of these plants for good or bad and to help you protect your children, your pets, and yourself.
All through history plants have been used as murder weapons, some plants have started wars, inflicted pain, they can explode, they can smell badly, or destroy. There are thousands of plants that are poisonous, painful, invasive, or intoxicating. My purpose with this article is to help the home gardener and their families stay safe as they garden and play in the indoors and outdoors. Plants poison over 68,000 people yearly, so we do need to be cautious and teach our children not eat any plant material. There is no way I can include all plants that cause problems, but I will attempt to list the most problematic.
We’ll first look at plants that are the most popular and are typically grown indoors. These plants should be kept away from children and pets. This small list contains the name of the plant and what part is dangerous.
See more at The Master Gardeners
