Poisonous House Plants

Many people like flaunting nature in their home by growing exotic houseplants. Not only are these plants good for the décor but they also provide a kind of freshness indoors. However, if the selection of houseplants is not done carefully, chances are that you may end up placing some really poisonous houseplants. In case, you are now wondering, how to detect that a plant is poisonous and what are the risks of keeping such poisonous houseplants, then read on.

Toxicity of House Plants

Poisonous houseplants are risky particularly for babies and pets. Different poisonous houseplants have different levels of toxicity. Mentioned below are some toxicity levels arising out of poisonous houseplants:

* Highly Toxic: If poisonous plants are ingested, they can even cause serious sickness or death.
* Low Toxic: If poisonous plants are ingested, they can cause some minor sickness like vomiting or problems related to gastro intestine.
* Calcium Oxalic Acid Toxic: If the juice or sap of some poisonous plants touches the skin, it can cause irritation to the mouth, throat and tongue. These plants contain oxalate crystals, which can cause burning pain, stomach discomfort and even breathing problems.
* Low Skin Irritation: The sap of many poisonous plants can cause severe skin irritation and rashes.

Identifying Poisonous House Plants

Identifying poisonous houseplants is not so easy, but you need not worry. You can easily
take the help of a nearby plant nursery. Simply take a leaf or the whole plant to a nursery and get to know the safety level of keeping that plant indoors. Contacting your local Cooperative Extension Office is another way of getting more information about poisonous houseplants.

Precautions from Poisonous House Plants

In case you have already some poisonous houseplants but do not wish to throw them away or keep them outdoors, then following some precautions is what you need to do to be at a safer side. Mentioned below are some precautions from poisonous houseplants:
* Don’t allow pets to lick the poisonous plants.
* Don’t allow babies or young children to play with poisonous plants.
* Place the poisonous plants out of reach, so that no one gets in touch with them.

List of Poisonous House Plants

To make it easier for you to identify which are poisonous houseplants, we present you with a list of poisonous houseplants along with the toxic parts they contain:
* Alocasia: Leaves and stems are toxic
* Amaryllis: Bulbs are toxic
* Aralias: Plants saps are toxic
* Caladium: Leaves and bulbs are toxic.
* Clivia: All parts are toxic.
* Chinese Evergreens: Plant saps are toxic.
* Daffodils: Leaves, flowers and bulbs are toxic.
* Dumb Cane: Leaves and plant saps are toxic.
* Easter Lilies: Leaves and bulbs are toxic.
* Euphorbias: Milky sap is toxic.
* Ficus: Plant sap is toxic.
* Ornamental Pepper: All parts are toxic.
* Peace Lily: Plant sap is toxic.
* Sago Palm: Seeds are toxic.
* Snake Plant: Leaves and plant sap are toxic.