Home » Gardening Info » Poisonous Plants (for Pets)
Four-legged companions enjoy the outdoors as much, or more, as their human friends. If you share a yard with a pet, use containers to keep fragile flowers out of harm's way, and plant rugged perennials, such as Ajugas, Heuchera, and Ivies in areas with heavy paw traffic.
While plants add a touch of color and fragrance to our daily lives, some can be dangerous to our pets. Keep your pets in mind when creating your outdoor living space for your family. Poisonous plants produce a variety of toxic substances and can cause reactions ranging from mild nausea to death. View informational video provided by the Humane Society of the United States (Real Audio player required. Free Download.)
Below is a list of some of the common plants that may produce a toxic reaction with your pet. This list is intended only as a guide to plants that are generally identified as having the capability for producing a toxic reaction.
| PLANT | GENUS | TOXIC PART | PLANT TYPE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aconite | Aconitum | roots, foliage, seeds | garden flower |
| Apple | Malus sylvestris | seeds | cultivated tree |
| Arrowgrasses | Triglochin maritimum | leaves | marsh plants |
| Autumn Crocus | Colchicum autumnale | entire plant | garden flower |
| Azaleas | Rhododendron | entire plant | cultivated & wild shrub |
| Baneberry | Actaea | berries, roots | wildflower |
| Bird-of-Paradise bush | Caesalpinia | pods | garden flower |
| Bird-of-Paradise flower | Strelitzia reginae | pods | garden flower |
| Black Locust | Robinia | entire plant esp. bark, shoots | tree |
| Bloodroot | Sanguinaria | entire plant esp. stem, roots | wildflower, herb |
| Box | entire plant esp. leaves | ornamental shrub | |
| Buckeye | Aesculus | sprouts, nuts, seeds | tree |
| Buttercup | Ranunculus | entire plant esp. leaves | wildflower, garden herb |
| Caladium | Arum | entire plant | house plant |
| Carolina Jessamine | Gelsemium sempervirens | flowers, leaves | ornamental plant |
| Castor bean | Ricinus communis | entire plant esp. beans | house plant |
| Chinaberry Tree | Melia azedarach | berries | tree |
| Chockcherries | Prunus | leaves, cherries, pit | wild shrub |
| Christmas Berry | Heteromeles arbutifolia | leaves | shrub |
| Christmas Rose | Helleborus | rootstock, leaves | garden flower |
| Common Privet | Ligustrum vulgare | leaves, berries | ornamental shrub |
| Corn Cockle | Agrostemma githago | seeds | wildflower, weed |
| Cow Cockle | Saponaria vaccaria | seeds | wildflower, weed |
| Cowbane | Oxypolis rigidior | entire plant esp. roots | wildflower, herb |
| Cowslip | Caltha | entire plant esp. leaves, stem | wildflower, herb |
| Daffodil | Narcissus | bulbs | garden flower |
| Daphne | Daphne mezereum | bark, berries, leaves | ornamental shrub |
| Day Lily | Hemerocallis | entire plant is toxic to cats | garden & wildflower |
| Deadly Nightshade, Belladonna | Atropa belladonna | entire plant esp. seeds, roots | garden herb |
| Death Camas | Zygadenus | leaves, stems, seeds, flowers | field herb |
| Delphinium (Larkspur) | Delphinium | entire plant esp. sprouts | wildflower |
| Dumbcane | Dieffienbachia | entire plant | house plant |
| Dutchman's Breeches | Dicentra | roots, foliage | wild & garden flower |
| Easter Lily | Lilium | entire plant is toxic to cats | flowering house plant |
| Elderberry | Sambucus | leaves, bark, roots, buds | tree |
| Elephant's Ear | Colocasia or Alocasia | entire plant | house plant |
| English Ivy | Hedera helix | entire plant esp. leaves, berries | ornamental vine |
| European Bittersweet | Solanum | entire plant esp. berries | vine |
| False Flax | Camelina microcarpa | seeds | wild herb |
| False Hellebore | Veratrum | roots, leaves, seeds | ornamental flower |
| Fan Weed | Thlaspi arvense | seeds | wildflower, herb |
| Field Peppergrass | Lipidium campestre | seeds | wildflower, herb |
| Flax | Linum | seedpods | wildflower, herb |
| Foxglove | Digitalis | leaves | wild & garden flower |
| Holly | Ilex | berries | shrub |
| Horse Chestnut | Aesculus | nuts, sprouts | tree |
| Horse Nettle | Solanum | entire plant esp. berries | wildflower, herb |
| Hyacinth | Hyacinthus | bulbs | wild & house plant |
| Iris | Iris | leaves, roots | wild & garden flower |
| Jack-in-the-pulpit | Arisaema | entire plant esp. roots, leaves | wildflower |
| Jatropha | Jatropha | seeds | tree, shrub |
| Jerusalem Cherry | Solanum | unripe fruit, foliage | ornamental plant |
| Jimson Weed | Datura | entire plant esp. seeds | field plant |
| Laburum | Laburnum anagyroides | seeds, pods, flowers | ornamental plant |
| Lantana | Lantana | foliage | house plant |
| Larkspur | Delphinium | young plants | wildflower |
| Laurels | Laurus | leaves | shrub |
| Lily of the Valley | Convallaria majalis | leaves, flowers | garden & wildflower |
| Lupines | Lupinus | seeds, pods | shrub |
| Manchineel Tree | Hippomane mancinella | sap, fruit | tree |
| Matrimony Vine | Lycium barbarum | leaves, shoots | ornamental vine |
| Mayapple | Podophyllum peltatum | unripe fruit, roots, foliage | wildflower |
| Milk Vetch | Astragalus | entire plant | wildflower |
| Mistletoe | Phoradendron or Viscum album | berries | house plant |
| Monkshood | Aconitum | entire plant esp. roots, seeds | wildflower |
| Moonseed | Menispermum | fruit, roots | vine |
| Morning Glory | Ipomoea tricolor | seeds, roots | wildflower |
| Mountain Mahogany | Cercocarpus | leaves | shrub |
| Mustards | Brassica | seeds | wildflower |
| Narcissus | Narcissus | bulbs | garden flower |
| Nicotiana | Nicotiana | leaves | garden flower |
| Nightshade | Atropa belladonna or Solanum | leaves, berries | wildflower, vine |
| Oaks | Quereus | shoots, leaves | tree |
| Oleander | Nerium | leaves | ornamental shrub |
| Philodendrons | Philodendron or Monstera | entire plant | house plant |
| Poinsettia | Euphorbia | leaves, stem, flowers | house plant |
| Poison Hemlock | Conium | leaves, stem, fruit | field plant |
| Pokeweed | Phytolacca | roots, seeds, berries | field plant |
| Potato | Solanum tuberosum | shoots, sprouts | garden plant |
| Rattle Box | Crotalaria | entire plant | wildflower |
| Rhododendron | Rhododendron | leaves | ornamental shrub |
| Rhubarb | Rheum rhaponticum | leaves | garden plant |
| Rosary Pea | Arbrus precatorius | seeds | house plant |
| Sago Palm | Cycas revoluta | entire plant esp seeds | ornamental plant |
| Skunk Cabbage | Symplocarpus and Veratrum | entire plant esp roots, leaves | marsh plant |
| Smartweeds | Persicaria | sap | wildflower |
| Snow-on-the-mountain | Euphorbia | sap | field plant |
| Sorghum | Sorghum | leaves | grass |
| Star of Bethlehem | Ornithogalum | entire plant | wildflower |
| Velvet Grass | Holcus lanatus | leaves | grass |
| Wild Black Cherry | Prunus serotina | leaves, pits | tree |
| Wild Radish | Raphanus raphanistrum | seeds | wildflower |
| Wisteria | Wisteria | pods, seeds | ornamental plant |
| Wolfberry | Lycium barbarum | leaves, shoots | ornamental vine |
| Woody Aster | Aster venustus | entire plant | wildflower |
| Yellow Jessamine | Gelsemium sempervirens | entire plant | ornamental vine |
| Yellow Oleander | Thevetia peruviana | entire plant esp. leaves | garden plant |
| Yellow Pine Flax | Linum neomexicanum | entire plant esp. seedpods | wildflower |
| Yew | Taxus | bark, leaves, seeds | ornamental tree |
