Poisonous Plants

Following is a partial list of poisonous plants, the poisonous parts, typical symptoms, and links to pictures and descriptions.

 

PLANT	TOXIC PART	SYMPTOMS & RESULTS
Aconite (a.k.a. Monkshood , Wolfsbane)	All, especially Fleshy roots	Digestive upset and nervous excitement.
Autumn Crocus	Bulbs	Vomiting and nervous excitement.
Azaleas	All parts	Fatal. Produces nausea and vomiting, depression, difficult breathing, prostration and coma.
Black Locust	Bark, sprouts, foliage	Children have suffered nausea, weakness and depression after chewing the bark and seeds.
Bleeding Heart	Foliage, roots	May be poisonous in large amounts. Has proved fatal to cattle.
Buttercups	All parts	Irritant juices may severely injure the digestive system.
Castor Bean	Seeds	Fatal. One or two seeds are near the lethal dose for adults.
Cherries, wild and cultivated	Twigs, foliage	Fatal. Contains a compound that releases cyanide when eaten. Gasping, excitement and prostration are common symptoms.
Daffodil	Bulbs	Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. May be fatal.
Daphne	Berries	Fatal. A few berries can kill a child.
Dieffenbachia (a.k.a. Dumb Cane)	All parts	Intense burning and irritation of the mouth and tongue. Death can occur if base of the tongue swells enough to block the air passage of the throat.
Dumb Cane (a.k.a. Dieffenbachia)	All parts	Intense burning and irritation of the mouth and tongue. Death can occur if base of the tongue swells enough to block the air passage of the throat.
Elderberry	All parts, especially roots	Children have been poisoned by using pieces of the pithy stems for blowguns. Nausea and digestive upset.
Elephant Ear	All parts	Intense burning and irritation of the mouth and tongue. Death can occur if base of the tongue swells enough to block the air passage of the throat.
Foxglove	Leaves	Large amounts cause dangerously irregular heartbeat and pulse, usually digestive upset and mental confusion. May be fatal.
Golden Chain	Bean-like capsules in which the seeds are suspended	Severe poisoning. Excitement, staggering, convulsions and coma. May be fatal.
Hemlock	All parts	Fatal. Resembles a large wild carrot.
Hyacinth	Bulbs	Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. May be fatal.
Iris	Underground stems	Severe-but not usually serious-digestive upset.
Jack-in-the-Pulpit	All parts, especially roots	Like Dumb Cane, contains small needle-like crystals of calcium oxalate that cause intense irritation and burning of the mouth and tongue.
Jasmine	Berries	Fatal. Digestive disturbance and nervous symptoms.
Jimson Weed (a.k.a. Thorn Apple)	All parts	Abnormal thirst, distorted sight, delirium, incoherence and coma. Common cause of poisoning. Has proved fatal.
Lantana Camara (a.k.a Red Sage)	Green berries	Fatal. Affects lungs, kidneys, heart and nervous system. Grows in the southern U.S. And in moderate climates.
Larkspur	Young plant, seeds	Digestive upset, nervous excitement, depression. May be fatal.
Lily-of-the-Valley	Leaves, flowers	Irregular heart beat and pulse, usually accompanied by digestive upset and mental confusion.
Laurels	All parts	Fatal. Produces nausea and vomiting, depression, difficult breathing, prostration and coma.
Mayapple	Apple, foliage, roots	Contains at least 16 active toxic principles, primarily in the roots. Children often eat the apple with no ill effects, but several apples may cause diarrhea.
Mistletoe	Berries	Fatal. Both children and adults have died from eating the berries.
Monkshood (A.K.A. Aconite, Wolfsbane)	All, especially Fleshy roots	Digestive upset and nervous excitement.
Moonseed	Berries	Blue, purple color, resembling wild grapes. May be fatal.
Mushrooms	All parts	Gastrointestinal and central nervous system poisoning.  Some mushrooms cause death very quickly. Some mushrooms have no known antidote. Mushroom identification is very difficult and unreliable, and must be precise, even more so than with other plants.
Narcissus	Bulbs	Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. May be fatal.
Nightshade	All parts, especially the unripened berry	Fatal. Intense digestive disturbance and nervous symptoms.
Oaks	Foliage, acorns	Affects kidneys gradually. Symptoms appear only after several days or weeks. Takes a large amount for poisoning.
Oleander	Leaves, branches	Extremely poisonous. Affects the heart, produces severe digestive upset and has caused death.
Poison Hemlock	All parts	Fatal. Resembles a large wild carrot.
Red Sage (a.k.a Lantana Camara)	Green berries	Fatal. Affects lungs, kidneys, heart and nervous system. Grows in the southern U.S. And in moderate climates.
Rhododendrons	All parts	Fatal. Produces nausea and vomiting, depression, difficult breathing, prostration and coma.
Rhubarb	Leaf blade	Fatal. Large amounts of raw or cooked leaves can cause convulsions, coma, followed rapidly by death.
Rosary Pea	Seeds	Fatal. A single seed has caused death.
Star of Bethlehem	Bulbs	Vomiting and nervous excitement.
Thorn Apple (a.k.a. Jimson Weed)	All parts	Abnormal thirst, distorted sight, delirium, incoherence and coma. Common cause of poisoning. Has proved fatal.
Water Hemlock	All parts	Fatal. Violent and painful convulsions. A number of people have died from hemlock.
Wisteria	Seeds, pods	Mild to severe digestive upset. Many children are poisoned by this plant.
Wolfsbane (a.k.a. Aconite, Monkshood)	All, especially Fleshy roots	Digestive upset and nervous excitement.
Yew	Berries, foliage	Fatal. Foliage more toxic than berries. Death is usually sudden without warning symptoms.