Return to the Edible Landscape Forum
| Post a Follow-Up
Thevetia fruits edible or toxic?
| | |
Posted by tired_of_digging z10 (My Page) on Tue, Jan 18, 05 at 15:39
| I have recently identified a plant growing near my home as Thevetia Peruviana. It belongs to the Apocinaceae family, well renowned for having plants which are among the most poisonous on Earth. However, I have found information about commercial growth of the plant for livestock feeding. Check these two:
https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/ retrieve/4783/ja02030.pdf
http://www.ars-grin.gov/duke/dictionary/tico/t.html
The second website, mentions that the black pulp is said to be eaten in Ghana, while in another place I have read that a child has suffered from eating the fruit. Most toxicology reports I found so far refer to the plant parts, and to the seeds. I took into consideration that not all what is eaten by animals can be eaten by humans, and vice-versa. However, I did not encounter any article saying there are differences in toxic substances between the seed and the fruit pulp. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Thevetia fruits edible or toxic?
| | |
- Posted by JimShy z7 Brooklyn, NY (My Page) on
Tue, Feb 8, 05 at 11:36
| I've only seen reports that the plant in general is toxic, like many others in the Apocyanaciae family -- I'd say, when in doubt, don't eat it. Jim |
RE: Thevetia fruits edible or toxic?
| | |
| A good reference to check is Cornucopia. I own one of those and don't recall seeing anything about it being edible. One member of the Dogbane family that IS edible is Natal Plum (Carissa), it's spiky and has fragrant flowers too. We see it alot in public landscaping as an ornamental here in SoCal. I've also seen an (Asian) recipe for salad made from Plumeria blossoms (the recipe called for boiling the flowers - too much work IMO). |
|
|
|
|
