Toxic Plants

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Toxic Plants Listed on Plant Materials List ¹

Landscape Trees
Common Name	Botanical Name	Toxicity Category
Mimosa	Albizia julibrissin	Toxicity Category 4 - plants are generally considered non-toxic to humans.
Birch	All Betula sp.	Toxicity Category 1 - Plants can cause systemic toxicity varying from mild abdominal cramping to serious cardiac complications.
Birch, River (bark, leaves)	Betula nigra	Toxicity Category 3 - plants usually produce only mild to moderate stomach upset or dermatitis.
Pecan	Carya illinoinensis	Toxicity Category 4 - plants are generally considered non-toxic to humans.
Russian-olive	(All Elaeagnus sp.) Elaeagnus angustifolia	Toxicity Category 4 - plants are generally considered non-toxic to humans.
Crapemyrtle	Lagerstroemia indica	Toxicity Category 4 - plants are generally considered non-toxic to humans.
Tuliptree, Tulip-poplar	Liriodendron tulipifera	Toxicity Category 4 - plants are generally considered non-toxic to humans.
Magnolia, Southern	Magnolia grandiflora	Toxicity Category 4 - plants are generally considered non-toxic to humans.
Apple (seeds)	Malus (sp.)	Toxicity Category 1 - Plants can cause systemic toxicity varying from mild abdominal cramping to serious cardiac complications.
Pine	(All pine species) Pinus elliotti Pinus strobus Pinus taeda Pinus thunbergii	Toxicity Category 4 - plants are generally considered non-toxic to humans.
Plum (pits) Purpleleaf Sand Cherry Flowering Peach Flowering Cherry Weeping Higan Cherry	All Prunus sp. Prunus x cistena Prunus persica Prunus serrulata 'Kwanzan' Prunus subhirtella 'Pendula'	Toxicity Category 4 - plants are generally considered non-toxic to humans.
Oak (acorn) White Oak Water Oak Pin Oak Willow Oak Oak, Enlgish Oak, Red	All Quercus sp. Quercus alba Quercus nigra Quercus palustris Quercus phellos Quercus robur Quercus rubra	Toxicity Category 3 - plants usually produce only mild to moderate stomach upset or dermatitis.
Willow, weeping	Salix alba 'Tristis'	Toxicity Category 4 - plants are generally considered non-toxic to humans.
Sassafras	Sassafras albidum	Toxicity Category 1 - Plants can cause systemic toxicity varying from mild abdominal cramping to serious cardiac complications.

Shrubs
Common Name	Botanical Name	Toxicity Category
Gold-dust Plant	Aucuba japonica 'Variegata'	Toxicity Category 4 - plants are generally considered non-toxic to humans.
Barberry Wintergreen Barberry Redleaf Jap. Barberry	All Berberis sp. Berberis julianae Berberis thunbergii var. atropurpurea	Toxicity Category 3 - plants usually produce only mild to moderate stomach upset or dermatitis.
Boxwood Littleleaf Boxwood Common Boxwood	All Buxus sp. Buxus microphylla Buxus sempervirens	Toxicity Category 3 - plants usually produce only mild to moderate stomach upset or dermatitis.
Cotoneaster Cranberry Cotoneaster	All cotoneaster sp. Cotoneaster apiculatus	Toxicity Category 1 - Plants can cause systemic toxicity varying from mild abdominal cramping to serious cardiac complications. Toxicity Category 3 - plants usually produce only mild to moderate stomach upset or dermatitis.
Elaeagnus Thorny Elaeagnus	All Elaeagnus sp. Elaeagnus pungens	Toxicity Category 4 - plants are generally considered non-toxic to humans.
Euonymus Winged Euonymus-Burning Bush Variegated Euonymus Manhattan Euonymus	All Euonymus sp. Euonymus alatas Euonymus japonicus 'Aureus' Euonymus kiautschovicus 'Manhattan'	Toxicity Category 3 - plants usually produce only mild to moderate stomach upset or dermatitis.
Forsythia Border Forsythia	All Forsythia sp. Forsythia x intermedia	Toxicity Category 4 - plants are generally considered non-toxic to humans.
Gardenia / cape jasmine	Gardenia jasminoides	Toxicity Category 4 - plants are generally considered non-toxic to humans.
Hibiscus Althea - Rose of Sharon	All Hibiscus sp. Althea syriacus	Toxicity Category 4 - plants are generally considered non-toxic to humans.
Hydrangea Bigleaf Hydrangea Panicle Hydrangea Oakleaf Hydrangea	All Hydrangea sp. Hydrangea macrophylla Hydrangea paniculata Hydrangea quercifolia	Toxicity Category 1 - Plants can cause systemic toxicity varying from mild abdominal cramping to serious cardiac complications. Toxicity Category 3 - plants usually produce only mild to moderate stomach upset or dermatitis.
Holly (berry) Foster Holly Burford Holly Carissa Holly Dwarf Japanese Holly Convexa Holly Possumhaw Inkberry Blue Holly Nellie Stevens Holly Dwarf Yaupon Holly Weeping Yaupon	(All Ilex sp.) Ilex X attenuata 'Fosteri' Ilex cornuta 'Burfordii' Ilex cornuta 'Carissa' Ilex crenata 'Compacta' Ilex cornuta 'Convexa' Ilex decidua Ilex glabra Ilex x meserveae Ilex x 'Nellie R. Stevens' Ilex vomitoria 'Nana' Ilex vomitoria 'Pendula'	Toxicity Category 3 - plants usually produce only mild to moderate stomach upset or dermatitis.
Nandina / heavenly bamboo Dwarf Nandina	Nandina domestica Nandina domestica 'Atropurpurea Nana'	Toxicity Category 4 - plants are generally considered non-toxic to humans.
Azalea Rhododendron	All Rhododendron sp. Rhododendron sp	Toxicity Category 1 - Plants can cause systemic toxicity varying from mild abdominal cramping to serious cardiac complications.
Lilac	Syringa vulgaris	Toxicity Category 4 - plants are generally considered non-toxic to humans.
Yew	All Taxus sp.	Toxicity Category 1 - Plants can cause systemic toxicity varying from mild abdominal cramping to serious cardiac complications.
Doublefile Snowball	Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum	Toxicity Category 4 - plants are generally considered non-toxic to humans.
Yucca	All Yucca sp. Yucca filamentosa	Toxicity Category 4 - plants are generally considered non-toxic to humans.

Groundcovers
Common Name	Botanical Name	Toxicity Category
Euonymus Wintercreeper Euonymus	All Euonymus sp. Euonymus fortunei 'Coloratus'	Toxicity Category 3 - plants usually produce only mild to moderate stomach upset or dermatitis.
Liriope /Lilyturf Liriope	All Liriope sp. Liriope muscari	Toxicity Category 4 - plants are generally considered non-toxic to humans.
Periwinkle / Vinca	Vinca minor	Toxicity Category 1 - Plants can cause systemic toxicity varying from mild abdominal cramping to serious cardiac complications.

Vines
Common Name	Botanical Name	Toxicity Category
Virginia Creeper	Parthenocissus quinquefolia	Toxicity Category 2b - plants contain soluble calcium salts, which the body can absorb. In addition to external irritation, eating these plants can damage kidneys and other organs.

Ornamental Grasses
Common Name	Botanical Name	Toxicity Category
Pampas Grass	Cortaderia selloana	Toxicity Category 4 - plants are generally considered non-toxic to humans.

Perennials
Common Name	Botanical Name	Toxicity Category
Astilbe	Astilbe x arendsii	Toxicity Category 4 - plants are generally considered non-toxic to humans.
Chrysanthemum	Chrysanthemum x morifolium	Toxicity Category 3 - plants usually produce only mild to moderate stomach upset or dermatitis.
Hibiscus Common Rose Mallow	All Hibiscus sp. Hibiscus moscheutos	Toxicity Category 4 - plants are generally considered non-toxic to humans.
Hosta / plantain lily	All Hosta sp.	Toxicity Category 4 - plants are generally considered non-toxic to humans.
Phlox Garden Phlox Moss Phlox	All Phlox sp. Phlox paniculata Phlox subulata	Toxicity Category 4 - plants are generally considered non-toxic to humans.

1 - A Rational Guide to Plant Toxicity by Richard Kingston, Phar. D., Minnesota Regional Poison Center, Ramsey Medical Center, St. Paul, Minnesota and professor at the University of Minnesota.

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Toxic Plants Listed on Plant Materials List 1

Toxic Plants Listed on Plant Materials List ¹