Gardening is a favorite hobby of millions worldwide. Basically, we choose beautiful plants or plants that bear beautiful and colorful flowers for our garden because our very purpose is to beautify our surroundings. But we should be very careful in choosing ornamental plants for our garden because there are plenty of poisonous species of plants that can be very harmful to us, to our kids and to our pets.
Here's a list of poisonous ornamental plants.
American Rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum)
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The leaves of this ornamental plant with lovely flowers can be poisonous. American Rhododendron, also called Great Rhododendron, Great Laurel, Rose Bay, American Rhododendron or Big Rhododendron, is a species native to eastern North America.
Yellow Azalea (Rhododendron luteum)
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This beautiful ornamental plant that bear pretty flowers is poisonous. Despite the sweet perfume of the flowers, the nectar is toxic, containing grayanotoxin; records of poisoning of people eating the honey date back to the 4th century BC in Classical Greece. Yellow Azalea also known as Honeysuckle Azalea is a species of Rhododendron native to southeastern Europe and southwest Asia.
Western Azalea (Rhododendron occidentale)
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All parts of Western Azalea contain grayanotoxin (formerly known as andromedotoxin, acetylandromedol, and rhodotoxin), arbutin glucoside. Nausea, salivation, vomiting, weakness, dizziness, difficulty in breathing, loss of balance are the common symptoms of poisoning. The Western Azalea is found in Oregon and as far south as the Palomar Mountain area in southern California, with reports that it is found in Baja California, Mexico. 100 to 225 grams of azalea leaves must be eaten to seriously poison a 55 lb child.
Marsh Labrador Tea (Rhododendron tomentosum)
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All parts of this beautiful plant contain poisonous terpenes that affect central nervous system, causing aggressive behavior. First symptoms of overdose are dizziness and disturbances in movement, followed by spasms, nausea and unconsciousness. The mere smell of the plant may cause headache to some people. Marsh Labrador Tea, also known as Northern Labrador Tea or Wild Rosemary, is a flowering plant. It grows in peaty soils, shrubby areas, moss and lichen tundra.
Alpenrose (Rhododendron ferrugineum)
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This ornamental plant is moderately toxic, containing arbutine, aricoline and rhodoxanthine, and can cause vomiting, and difficulties of the digestive, nervous, respiratory and circulatory systems. Alpenrose, snow-rose, or rusty-leaved alpenrose is an evergreen shrub that grows just above the tree line in the Alps, Pyrenees, Jura and Apennines, on acid soils
Common Rhododendron (Rhododendron ponticum)
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This ornamental plant is poisonous. Xenophon mentions that Greek soldiers in Asia Minor were poisoned by honey made from the flowers of R. ponticum. Common Rhododendron or Pontic Rhododendron is a species of Rhododendron native to Europe and Asia.
All parts of these Azaleas are poisonous and cause nausea, vomiting, depression, breathing difficulties and coma. Azaleas are the most common toxic plant that dogs ingest. Some species are poisonous to grazing animals. These Rhododendrons have a toxin called grayanotoxin in their pollen and nectar. People have been known to become ill from eating honey made by bees feeding on rhododendron and azalea flowers.
Mother of Millions (Kalanchoe tubiflora)
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Who would think that this lovely plant is poisonous? This plant is commonly called Chandelier Plant, Mother of Millions, and Mother of Thousands. This plant is a succulent plant native to Madagascar. This plant contains bufadienolide cardiac glycosides which can cause cardiac poisoning, particularly in grazing animals. In 1997, 125 head of cattle died after eating mother-of-millions on a traveling stock reserve near Moree, New South Wales.
Miracle Leaf (Kalanchoe pinnata)
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Like Mother of Millions, Miracle Leaf has been found to contain bufadienolide cardiac glycosides. These can cause cardiac poisoning, particularly in grazing animals. Miracle Leaf also known as Air Plant, Life Plant and the Goethe Plantis a succulent plant native to Madagascar. It is also a popular houseplant and has become naturalized in temperate regions of Asia, the Pacific and Caribbean.
Venus's Car (Dicentra spectabilis)
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Contact with the Venus Car plant can cause skin irritation because the entire plant is toxic, so should be handled with gloves and long sleeves. Venus's car, also known as bleeding heart, Dutchman's trousers, or lyre flower, is a perennial herbaceous plant native to eastern Asia from Siberia south to Japan.
Golden Bean (Thermopsis rhombifolia)
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Golden Bean plant has toxic properties if ingested; symptoms of poisoning include vomiting, dizziness, and abdominal pain. Golden Bean, also known as Buffalo Bean, Wet Tooth, and Buffalo Flower, is a hardy perennial native to the North American plains. The flowers were commonly used by the natives as a source of yellow dye and were boiled in a tea as a cure for stomach ailments for people and horses.
Elephant Ear (Caladium)
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All parts of this garden plant are poisonous. Symptoms are generally irritation, pain, and swelling of tissues. If the mouth or tongue swells, breathing may be fatally blocked. Caladium is a genus of plants of the family Araceae. They are often also known by the common name Heart of Jesus, and Angel Wings. There are over 1000 named cultivars of Caladium bicolor from the original South American plant.
