5 common plants that can poison
<p>Being green-fingered is a blessing but being green to the stomach, well that's to be avoided at all costs.</p>
<p>Hiding in amongst your prized roses and neatly clipped buxus, you might just find a few surprises. Some of your favourite plants actually pack a poisonous punch, and it is pets and young children who are most commonly and seriously affected.</p>
<p>On the good news front, most of the below are at their most poisonous when eaten and not one of them is renowned for its deliciousness. Stick to keeping them in the soil and not in the salad and you should be OK.</p>
<p>Here's a few plants you might want to rethink the placement of:</p>
<p><strong>Foxglove</strong></p>
<p>Foxgloves are a cottage garden favourite, much loved for their bee-friendly blooms which stand in tall spikes, head and shoulders above all the rest. But, and there is a but, did you know that this plant has potent poison potential from root to tip? In general, the higher parts of the plant are the most toxic and the worst time to ingest is when the plant's seed pods are near to bursting.</p>
<p>Foxglove can also be a force for good - it is a source of digitoxin which is used to make heart medicine.</p>
<p><strong>Peace lily</strong></p>
<p>This reliable household evergreen may not, in fact, be your best botanical friend despite being on the robust side. Chewing on the leaves is likely to cause a burning mouth after a few minutes, and possibly vomiting. The burning may be intense and can be accompanied by swelling of the mouth, tongue and throat which may in turn compromise breathing.</p>
<p><strong>Oleander</strong></p>
<p>This widely cultivated, fast-growing plant with a pretty pink, yellow or white flower is easy on the eye but it's hiding a nasty side.</p>
<p>When any oleander part is chewed or eaten, flowers, twigs, leaves and all, symptoms vary widely from a concerning possibility of blurred vision, diarrhoea, nausea, faster or slower heart rate, hives, a rash and in an extreme case it can even cause death. Oh yes, the Big D.</p>
<p>Remember that 2002 movie White Oleander in which Michelle Pfeiffer's character offs her cheating boyfriend played by Billy Connolly with an oleander brew? Well, turns out there was more fact than fiction involved.</p>
<p><strong>Agapanthus</strong></p>
<p>You may not be familiar with the name but you'll no doubt recognise the hallmark flower heads. The most harmful part is luckily tucked away underground - the rhizome (root network) is the bit you really want to avoid. Ingestion of any part may cause gastrointestinal problems (cue nausea, vomiting and other unpleasantness) while contact with the juice or sap can cause skin irritation.</p>
<p><strong>Daffodils</strong></p>
<p>They are the harbinger of spring, but also of stomach cramps, vomiting and headaches if you eat them. Stick to cutting them and putting in a vase and be sure not to mistake them for onions or chives.</p>
<p><em>Written by Colleen Simpson. First appeared on</em> <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank"><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Stuff.co.nz.</strong></span></em></a></p>
<p><strong>Related links:</strong></p>
<p><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/home-garden/2015/12/homemade-remedies-for-the-garden/">Homemade remedies for the garden</a></span></em></strong></p>
<p><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/home-garden/2015/11/plants-that-are-hard-to-kill/">8 plants that are near impossible to kill</a></span></em></strong></p>
<p><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/home-garden/2015/12/how-to-control-whiteflies-in-the-garden/">How to control whiteflies in the garden</a></span></em></strong></p>
