Geek Habitat

My friend, Regan, pointed out that the lilies I received on Valentine’s Day are likely toxic to our felines, so that we could be certain to keep them out of their reach. That prompted me to do some surfing, namely to the National Poison Center Network

It seems I’m better at identifying and avoiding the wild varieties of poisonous plants because I just discovered that two of my favorite indoor or patio plants, namely pothos ivy and elephant ear, are both poisonous to humans and pets, causing airway obstruction due to irritation and swelling. Of course, I am reminded that, “…many plants need to be consumed in considerable quantities for poisoning to occur. Often poisonous plants taste bitter or acrid and children and pets may not ingest large amounts.” Still, it’s a little sad that I unknowingly managed to pot two poisonous plants together. Yes, not only are they both indoors, they’re both in the same pot! Thankfully, they’ve always been above kitty and toddler level, but that’s just out of sheer dumb luck. I wish I could say I’d done that intentionally. I used to have a much larger indoor planter of pothos ivy, in a much more cat-accessible location, but that plant got really sad looking before Sara was born so I moved it outdoors (out of sight, out of mind.) The planter didn’t get covered over the winter, so the plant finally succumbed.

In our backyard, we have two large oleander bushes that the original owners planted to hide our above-ground power transformer. I at least knew that beast was poisonous, and fully intend to teach Sara that it’s best to give those bushes a wide berth. In fact, given oleander’s high toxicity, I’m not entirely sure those behemoths are going to stay much longer; from Wikipedia: “Oleander is also known to hold its toxicity even after drying. It is thought that a handful or 10-20 leaves consumed by an adult can cause an adverse reaction, and a single leaf could be lethal to an infant or child.”

Regarding my lack of knowledge of poisonous indoor plant varieties, I guess it just goes to show that what you don’t know can hurt you!

Poisonous plants, from the Texas Poison Center Network.