Many parents worry that their child may nibble on a poisonous plant. The good news is that most houseplants and yard plants are completely safe. Even so-called "toxic" plants usually don't cause more than a stomachache after a few bites. Still, there are some plants that can definitely be dangerous to curious children.
Here's a list of plants that should always be kept out of your child's reach.
- Azalea (flower)
- Baneberry (ground plant)
- Belladonna (ground plant)
- Black Locust (tree)
- Buckeye (tree)
- Caladium (house plant)
- Castor Bean (shrub)
- Cherry Trees (tree)
- Chinaberry (tree)
- Daffodil (bulbs)
- Daphne (shrub)
- Death Camas (shrub)
- Delphinium (flower)
- Dumb Cane (houseplant)
- Duranta (shrub)
- False hellebore (flower)
- Foxglove (flower)
- Goldenchain (vine or tree)
- Holy (bush or tree)
- Hyacinth (flower)
- Hydrangea (flower)
- Jessamine (shrub)
- Jimsonweed (weed)
- Larkspur (flower)
- Lantana (shrub)
- Lily-of-the-Valley (flower)
- Lupine (flower)
- Mistletoe (shrub)
- Monkshood (flower)
- Moonseed (vine)
- Mountain Laurel (tree or shrub)
- Mushrooms (fungus)
- Nightshade (ground plant)
- Oleander (flower)
- Pyracantha (bush)
- Philodendron (vine)
- Poison Hemlock (ground plant)
- Pokeweed (weedy ground plant)
- Privet (shrub)
- Rhododendron (flower)
- Rhubarb Leaves (bush)
- Rosary Pea (shrub)
- Rubber Vine (vine)
- Sandbox Tree (tree)
- Tansy (flower)
- Tung Tree (tree)
- Water Hemlock (ground plant)
- Wisteria (flowering vine or shrub)
- Yew (shrub)
Pictures of many of these and other toxic plants are available at Cornell University's Poisonous Plant Database (http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/alphalist.html). If you need additional help identifying a particular plant, take a clipping to your local nursery for assistance. And if you suspect poisoning from a plant or any other source, call the American Association of Poison Control Centers' national emergency hotline at (800) 222-1222, which will automatically redirect you to a local poison control center. Add the number to your list of emergency numbers by the phone.
Plants don't have to be poisonous to pose a hazard to children. Take a careful look around your home to make sure you don't have any hanging plants or plants on top of furniture that your child might be able to reach. Parents frequently overlook dangling vines that, if pulled, could bring down a heavy pot. And don't overlook potted plants on tables that could fall if your child shakes the table.
Even if you're sure your plants don't pose a poisoning or falling hazard, you still need to take a few precautions. First, don't use any surface or crystallized fertilizer, which could be toxic to your child. You should also make sure you have no small rocks in your plant pots -- they're easily overlooked choking hazards. And if you want to keep your child from digging in the dirt, cut a piece of fine chicken wire or cardboard to fit the pot and place it over the dirt.
If this is too much for you, simply relocate your plants to a room you've made off-limits with a door latch or gate.