Toxic beauty: These popular plants can poison your pets
Some plants can pose a threat to pets (illustrative photo: Getty Images)
Most plants can be toxic to some degree. However, certain species are particularly dangerous for animals or even humans.
This was explained in an interview by Oleksii Kovalenko, Candidate of Biological Sciences and research associate at the National Natural History Museum of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
Common plants that are dangerous for pets
According to the specialist, one of the most dangerous plants for cats — familiar to most people — is the lily.
“It can cause kidney failure in cats,” the scientist explained.
Other plants that can pose risks for pets include the daylily (Hemerocallis), a popular garden plant.
Reddish daylily (photo: uk.wikipedia.org/A.Barra)
Some houseplants can also be dangerous for pets.
“Plants like dieffenbachia and monstera contain many sharp calcium oxalate crystals,” Kovalenko explained.
Monstera (photo: uk.wikipedia.org/Chhe)
“Tulips are also dangerous. Their bulbs and leaves contain the toxin tulipalin, which is harmful if ingested,” Kovalenko said.
“Something similar,” he added, “can be found in hyacinths and daffodils.”
Plants that can be poisonous to humans
“There are many such plants. Almost every plant can be toxic,” the scientist explained.
As an example, he mentioned potatoes.
“As long as we eat the potato tubers, they are safe. But if we eat the leaves or berries, we can get poisoned. If potatoes sit in the sun, toxic compounds solanine and chaconine form,” the biologist explained.
According to him, “any plant can be toxic to some degree.”
“One of the most dangerous in Ukraine is hemlock. There have even been fatal cases from consuming it. It belongs to the carrot family, which also includes dill and parsley. These look similar to hemlock and are difficult to distinguish,” Kovalenko said.
Hemlock (photo: wikipedia.org/breki74)
He added that hemlock has a pleasant, carrot-like smell, which is why people sometimes taste it.
“There have also been cases of poisoning from hellebore. Other toxic plants include colchicum, or autumn crocus,” the expert concluded.
Earlier, we reported that a bright plant from the “blacklist” is spreading rapidly in Ukraine and explained why it is dangerous.
This material is for informational purposes only and should not be used for medical diagnosis or self-treatment. Our goal is to provide readers with accurate information about symptoms, causes, and methods of detecting diseases. RBС-Ukraine is not responsible for any diagnoses that readers may make based on materials from the resource. We do not recommend self-treatment and advise consulting a doctor in case of any health concerns.
