Decorative holiday plants can be poisonous to children

Poinsettias are safe around children, but other holiday plants are poisonous.

Decorative Christmas plants - like all house plants - should not sit or hang within reach of small, curious children.

In general, holiday plants are nonfood items, said Karen Gast, K-State research and extension horticulturist. If eaten, they may cause a stomachache or occasional vomiting.

Beyond that, however, some living Christmas decor is poisonous, Gast warned. Just what is frightening is that really hazardous plants aren't necessarily the ones Americans believe are toxic.

The list of holiday house plants with poisonous parts includes:
* azalea (rhododendron simmsii), all parts
* mistletoe (phoradendron flavescens), berries
* Jerusalem cherry (solanum pseudocapsicum), all parts
* Christmas holly (ilex aquifolium), berries

"To err on the side of safety, I wouldn't give or use these plants as a holiday decoration if a youngster can gain access to them," Gast said. "After all, colorful flowers and berries can attract children. Besides, some toddlers will put anything in their mouths, even if it tastes terrible, as toxic plants tend to do.

"Fortunately, the most popular Christmas plant is the poinsettia, and it's not at all toxic. In fact, the poinsettia's biggest problem is that the majority of Americans persist in mistakenly thinking it's poisonous."

Poinsettias' nontoxicity became clear 24 years ago at Ohio State University.

"The researchers there tested the effects of eating unusually high doses of every part, from roots to sap. Their results indicated, for example, a child could eat 500 to 600 poinsettia leaves and not show any signs of poisoning," Gast said. "Studies conducted since then have backed these findings up."