Is it Poisonous?

One of my readers sent me this question that has me talking about our Poinsettia plant again and I thought that this would be a good time to talk about the toxicity of houseplants.

The Poinsettia

First, the Poinsettia has been long rumored to be poisonous. The story of a poisoning of a child in 1919 after ingesting a few leaves cannot be confirmed as there is no medical record of the incident. The truth is that many tests have been on rats and rabbits that were feed large amounts of this plant with no effect.  However, the milky sap has been know to be an skin irritant and there are toxins in the plant that may have an adverse effect on some small children and pets. The death of a small dog in Switzerland was attributed to eating Poinsettia leaves is one isolated occurrence.

The Aracae Family

The most common Dieffenbachia

Dieffenbachia

The most dangerous houseplant in my opinion is the Dieffenbachia.  The sap of the plant when it comes in contact with moist parts of the body will cause immediate swelling with redness and stabbing pain.  The good thing about this is that if leaf is chewed, the swelling will hopefully prevent swallowing.  The bad part is that that the swelling can last several days with a lot of drooling.  In severe cases there will be a loss of speech - hence its name which translates to Dumb Cane. 


The Dieffenbachia is favored for its large patterened leaf.  The oldest one I know is the one pictured above.  I remember my mother had one in her livingroom when I was growing up.  It finally fell over when it reached a heighth of 8 feet and the ceiling of the room was only 71/2 feet.  Since then there have been many different leaf patterns offerings on the market.  I have two of them pictured here.
 



More plants in the Araceae family to watch are the Anthurium and Philodendron.  The Anthurium is loved for its simple bloom that comes in a variety of reds, pinks and whites.  A larger variety also has a purple blossom.  It has not had any case of serious poisoning reported.  The Philodendron which is a large genus has been responsible for skin complaints.  Care should be used around animals as there was a report written in 1961 by Greer that cited 72 cases of cats in which 37 died from eating Philodendrons.


This picture is the split leave variety call the Saddle Leaf  Philodendron. This is a large family so if you are not sure ask.

Other plants to be careful with are in the Amaryllis family which include the Daffodil. The poisonous part of these plants is the bulb and most reported poisonings were when the bulb was confused with an onion.  Digestion of the leaves will cause salivation, vomiting and diarrhoea.  As you can see, this can be very dangerous for a small child.

If it happens call for help

There is a lot to remember so try to keep it simple.  Take care in where you place your plants.  If you have large floor plants, it is OK to put a stake that identifies what it is.  Have the Poison Control number right next to your Doctor's.  Then if you find that you child, dog or cat has chewed on a plant you will have the information at your disposal for the center when you call.   It is best to be safe than sorry. 

I want to thank my reader who submitted this question.  It is an important issue to remember when bringing plants into our homes.  If you have any other questions, post them here or email me at houseplantsos@gmail.com .

k.k.jones

Flowers in a Box (Part 2)

Amaryllis

The second most popular flower that is given as a Christmas Gift is the Amaryllis.  The bright beautiful red flower can be as wide as 7 inches in diameter and is dazzling to all who see it.  The Amaryllis originates from South America with the most common varieties being Ferrari (red) and Apple Blossom (white & pink).  There are many more varieties as shown by my favorite supplier, White Flower Farm.  They sell 50 different varieties and even have doubles.

The Amaryllis usually comes one to a box and is about the size of a large fist. The container which is included is deep enough to allow adequate room for good root development but may not allow for drainage so be sure to not over water.  The diameter of the pot should be about ONE inch larger than that of the bulb. Although this may seem small, amaryllis bulbs prefer a smaller container. Plant the bulb so that at least one-third to one-half, of the bulb is above the surface of the potting medium. Firm the potting medium around the bulb, water it thoroughly and place the container in a warm, sunny spot.  The Amaryllis will send up a the flower stalk before it starts to develop leaves. Up to 4 large flowers will appear on one stalk, all facing a different direction.  This makes the Amaryllis a favorite for the Holiday Centerpiece. A hint to making the flowers last longer is to remove the plant from direct when the flower buds start to turn color.



Amaryllis Ferrari
 

If you are planning to keep the bulb for future blooming it is essential to fertilize the plants regularly after the bulb shows signs of growth.  Fertilize with a high phosphorus content. Move the plant back into a sunny location after blooming to help feed the bloom for next year.  Keep the flower stalk until it begins to shrivel and turn yellow.  While green it helps to manufacture food that will be stored in the bulb for the next blooming.  Continue to fertilize with a balance formula throughout the year.

The Amaryllis bulb does not have to rest between bloomings and can be grown in many gardens where frost is not an issue. I met one gardener in Jacksonville, Florida who had them  growing under trees to protect them from the frost and they were doing quite well.  If you are not one of the lucky ones who can do this then you can place your bulb, pot and all, right into the ground for the summer.  As they like to be a little pot bound, you should not have to change the pot for almost four years.



Amaryllis Apple Blossom

Bring your bulb in before the first frost.  Though no rest is needed, you can control the time it blooms by forcing it to take a rest.  You will need a minimum of 12 weeks to force a bloom.  This is not an exact science because your environment will affect the timing and it could take as much as 18 weeks.   I would suggest that you plant multiple bulbs at staggered times to be sure you have the flower you want for your Christmas Table.

To force your Amaryllis bulb into a rest period, stop watering and place in a cool dark place.  Discontinue fertilizing.  Do not cut off the leaves until they have dried and shriveled.  After 8 weeks, start to check bulbs regularly for signs of new growth.  When you see green, bring the pot into a sunny location and wait for the bloom.  The bloom should appear within 4 to 6 weeks.  Remember to start fertilizing with the new growth.

If you would like to learn more about the beautiful Amaryllis, I recommend a paper by Carl Hoffman and Mary Meyers of the University of Minnesota / Extension .  It continues with information about disease and bugs that can harm you bulb and what to do about it.

One more posting before Christmas.  This will be on my favorite Christmas flower the Cyclamen.  Pick one up if you see it.  The flower is beautiful and easy to care for.

Please email me, joneskathee@gmail.com ,  if I left anything out.  Send me any pictures of your Amaryllis and I will post them on this blog.  You can add comments right on the blog if you would like.