Rob Sproule: Poinsettias aren’t toxic
But both holly and mistletoe berries are very poisonous
Tis the season when ordinary houseplants give way to the reds, white and greens of Christmas flowers.
Before you put the poinsettia on the mantel and hang that mistletoe, there are a few things you need to know.
Every plant has different chemicals running through it, and while those in plants such as rosemary and aloe vera have beneficial qualities, we need to be aware that others can actually be toxic.
Poinsettias
The humble poinsettia has been on the wrong side of a bad rumour for decades. Today, let’s take the first step in setting things straight.
Poinsettias belong to the Euphorbia family, whose milky sap can be highly abrasive to human skin, an unfortunate family association that doesn’t help the poinsettia’s reputation.
But contrary to everything you’ve undoubtedly heard, poinsettias are not poisonous. I repeat: not.
The myth began in 1919 when a two-year-old girl died and the cause was incorrectly identified as a poinsettia leaf.
Poinsettia sap does irritate the mouth, and if enough is eaten, it can cause vomiting.
Rest assured, however. The Poisondex information database — the go-to resource for the majority of poison-control centres in the United States — says that for a 50-pound child to reach toxic levels of the compound, he or she would have to eat 500 poinsettia leaves.
As for your pets, if you catch puppy or kitty nibbling on the leaves, don’t worry about it unless they start to vomit repeatedly, at which time I’d call the vet.
So stop worrying about keeping your poinsettia out of reach and enjoy it for the gorgeous plant that it is. It’s witnessing a bit of a revival right now, and a bad rumour shouldn’t ruin that.
Mistletoe a n d h o l ly
While we’re busy worrying about poinsettias, we may be ignoring much more poisonous plants. Mistletoe and holly are beautiful, but the berries they produce are highly toxic and, in the case of mistletoe, potentially deadly.
This is one of the reasons why real mistletoe is sometimes hard to come by.
If your desire for authenticity mandates that you bring home fresh holly, be on the safe side and snip off berries as they appear. Twenty holly berries, and even fewer for white mistletoe berries, can be fatal.
Fresh trees
No, your Christmas tree isn’t poisonous. I included this section to give notice about pine needles.
If allowed to dry out to the point where they become brittle and fall, they are long and sharp enough to damage the insides of a cat or dog who decides to eat them. It’s basically the same as them eating a pin.
If you have a fresh pine tree, please clean up any needles that fall.
While cases of animals being hurt by eating these are extremely rare, it’s best to err on the safe side.
I hope that I’ve cleared up some myths here.
There’s nothing as unfair as a bad reputation when it’s not deserved, but potential hazards need to be identified.