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sultry_jasmine_nights_fl9

Poinsettias not poisonous? Who knew!

I have always thought that poinsettias were poisonous but it appears this "myth has been busted!" I love gardening~ you learn something new everyday...

Here is a link that might be useful: Poinsettias not poisonous article

Comments (9)

  • birdsnblooms
    16 years ago

    Sjn..They've been saying Poins were non-toxic more than 10 yrs..STill, a strange thing happened to a friend. Her cat had 5 beautiful, long-haired white kittens..A woman adopted all five..somehow, they got hold of a Poinsetta, devoured the plant, and well, didn't make it..it was horrible..Maybe coincidence??? Don't know.
    The first time I heard Poins weren't poisonous was on the news..In fact, one anchorman, can't recall which one, ate a Poin leaf..just to prove his point..So, imo, it's non-confirmed. Most Euphrobia/spurge are inedible plants..(can u imagine nibbling on Crown of Thorns? LOL.. Toni

  • sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Hi Toni, I remember you from the citrus forum a few yrs ago lol, good to see ya!

    That's so sad about those poor little kittens!
    I keep seeing conflicting stuff about the poinsettias, every Christmas you still hear about keeping them up and away from the toddlers and pets. I'm not planning on eating any to find out, LOL!

  • barbcoleus
    16 years ago

    I let this rest on the top so as many people could see it as possible. My daughter rushed her two toddlers to the Emergency Room because as she wheeled them past the poin displayed they grabbed leaves and stuffed them in their mouths. HOwever according to the CFA website they have a low toxicity which I guess is why the kittens died.
    Here is CFA list of plants toxic to cats

    Here is a link that might be useful: CFA toxic plants list

  • barbcoleus
    16 years ago

    What I actually meant to add was that the kids were fine.

  • birdsnblooms
    16 years ago

    Hi SJN..Yep, I remember you too..BTW, how are your citrus doing?
    I haven't any great desire finding out whether or not Poins are toxic or not either...
    Actually, I rarely buy Poins anyway. No room..LOL..
    But for ppl who have pets/kids, IMO, it's best to keep any Euphorbia out of reach or pass up..

    Barb, I wondered how the kids were.Thank God they're okay..Did the children have any reaction after eating a Poin? That'd must have been he** on your daughter.When my son was little, for some reason he bit into Dieffenbachia, sp, (Dumbcane) Took not one but two bites..I immediatly called the poison control center..they said if he got a fever or his throat swelled, to rush him to the ER.. Thankfully, he was okay..but the sap must have burned because after a second bite he let out a howl that had me jumping..why he did it, I'll never know..at the time I had about 75 plants..he'd never bothered them before, but for some reason he chose the Dieff then bit into it!!! I tossed the plant that day.. Only after he was in his teens did I buy another..
    It's amazing how many plants are toxic..common plants ppl buy at the grocery store..most ppl don't think twice about it..Toni

  • sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Hi Toni,
    So how many citrus do have now? You had quite a collection there.
    I had to get rid of my trees I had when I moved, but I of course got more since then lol. I am keeping most of my tropical plants in pots now but dh built some cedar planters for my new trees. I am in a less humid enviornment now so it has its challenges. I really should post in the citrus forum more lol.

  • birdsnblooms
    16 years ago

    Howdy SJN...That's ashame you had to rid your citrus, but not surprising you ended up with more..LOL..They're addicting, for sure..I can't wait till the Fl ban ends..It's been what 2 or 3 yrs..I'd like to add a couple more..Kumquat for one..Green and variegated, and like to try, one more time, Buddha Hand..
    Well, let's see, I'd guess I have at least 20 trees..Lost a couple, including the notorius, notorius for me anyway, BH.
    There are 2 nurseries here in IL that sell citrus, but they want a fortune..after shopping at the 2 Florida nurseries so long, paying 20.00 per tree, who wants or can afford to pay 70.00+??? LOL
    Don't know if you recall but I never was a 4Winds fan..so, have to wait until Fl can once again ship plants.
    Your cedar planters sound nice..Are they big? I've never used cedar..Are the pots fragrant? I wonder if ceder deters insects???
    What about rot? Is cedar likely to rot? Like I said, I'm unfamiliar with this wood..Toni

  • sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    The cedar is from planks/slats and it is a little aromatic. It does seem to repel the pests somewhat but I am using it mostly because it keeps the roots cooler than the plastic or clay pots do. It does seem to require a little more watering. They don't really rot tho. or at least it will take a long time. They are sort of like redwood- oily and water resistant. Some people use cedar in thier closets to deter moths and small shavings are used in dog beds etc. to repel fleas. The bad thing is they are really heavy lol. I used Pruning Seal spray to seal the insides of them.

    Sorry to hear about your BH, was that one on its own rootstock? I had a citron etrog and a BH on thier own rootstocks once and lost both of them. The BH I have now is grafted and has done okay except drops its fruit (grrr) but it is still young yet. I didn't know there was a variegated kumquat- cool. I keep hearing good stuff about a Sanbokan Lemon (sp) but can't find them around here.

  • barbcoleus
    16 years ago

    Hi Toni,
    Yes these kids were he-double hockey sticks. THey're twins and those twin strollers are not actually meant to go through store aisles. The ER didn't even check them out, my daughter said "poinsettias" and they said "no problem, go home". We don't have plants in the house that are harmful to man or beast since we have both.
    These kids are now in the National Honor Society at school.
    YOu folks who are looking for citrus-Florida nurseries are permitted to sell them. I don't know about shipping them out of state but I can't imagine it would be a problem for states who don't grow citrus as a crop. I even saw a Hand of Buddha at a HD.

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