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DailyDish - Toxic Holiday Plants

by Angie Felton (Subscribe to Angie Felton's posts)
Dec 17th 2008 6:00AM

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Filed under: Holidays

Don't let a run-in with Yuletide greenery turn your White Christmas blue

holly, toxic plants, mistletoe, poisonous holiday plants, dangerous greeneryDespite their festive appearance, many holiday greens are downright dangerous to the wee elves in your life. Here's a quick rundown on the list of plants on the Naughty List:

  • Holly, with it's waxy dark green leaves and inviting red berries is can be quite enticing to children but decorate with this seasonal plant with caution. Those bright berries are poisonous and ingestion of 20 berries could be fatal.
  • Mistletoe is good for kissing, but all parts of this plant (berries, leaves and stem) are toxic. Contact your nearest Poison Center if ingestion of any amount occurs.
  • Jerusalem Cherry has attractive bright orange to scarlet berries. Every part of this plant is also toxic and hazardous for children.
  • Bittersweet is yet another beautifully berried wintry plant of which every part is dangerous. But pay special care with the unripe berries, they contain the highest concentration of toxin.

After years of being maligned as a deadly plant, the poinsettia, has recently been moved onto the Nice List. Most ingestions of a leaf or two have not resulted in significant symptoms. However, poinsettia plants do contain a mild irritant which can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and the milky sap can cause skin irritations, so they shouldn't be left where little hands could reach them.

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