LIST OF PLANTS THAT ARE LIKELY TO BE TOXIC TO HERPS

This list is based on the book : "Iguanas: A Guide To Their Biology and Captive Care", by Frye and Townsend. Copyright 1993 by Krieger Publishing Company, ISBN0-89464695-8.

Other really useful sites are:-
http://chppm-www.apgea.army.mil/ento/PLANT.htm
It is the US Army Guide to Poisonous and Toxic Plants

http://www.ag.usask.ca/cofa/departments/hort/hortinfo/misc/can_kill.html
Plants That Kill - University of Saskatchewan

http://www.ag.usask.ca/cofa/departments/hort/hortinfo/misc/can_kil2.html
More Plants That Kill - University of Saskatchewan

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/publications/poison/poison.html
Poisonous Plants -Texas State Department of Health and the National Safety Council

(Thanks to Jim Slominski of Mori Nurseries, Virgil, Ontario for the last 3 links)

Just because something is not on this list does not mean it is safe to eat- you should DOUBLE CHECK every time you consider offering something new.

If you spot a mistake on this list or can help fill in the gaps, please let me know.

Bill Mears

COMMON NAME	SCIENTIFIC NAME	TOXIC PORTION(S)
Angel Wings	Caladium bicolor	All parts
Apple	Malus sp.	Seeds crushed
Apricot	Prunus sp.	Inner seeds
Autumn Crocus	Colchicum sp.	Bulbs
Avocado	Persea americana	Foliage
Azalea	Rhododendron sp.	Foliage, flowers
Baneberry /Snakeberry	Actaea rubra	Foliage, fruits
Beach Pea	Lathyrus japonicus	All parts
Betal Nut Palm	Piper betel	All parts
Belladonna	Brugsmania sp.	Berries & all parts
Belladonna Lily	Amaryllis	Bulb, stem, flowers
Bittersweet	Solanum dulcamara	Berries
Bird of Paradise	Strelitzia reginae	All parts
Black Locust	Robinia pseudoacacia	Bark, sp.routs, leaves
Bleeding Heart	Dicentra spectabilis	All parts
Bloodroot	Sanguinaria canadensis	All parts
Bluebonnet	Lupinus subcarnosus	Foliage and flowers
Bottlebrush	Callistemon sp.	Flower parts
Boxwood	Buxus sp.	Foliage and twigs
Broom	Cytisus/ Genista/ Spartium	Seeds
Buckeye Horse Chestnut		Sprouts and nuts
Buttercup	Ranunculus sp.	All parts
Buzy-Lizzie	Impatiens	(Touch-Me-Not)All parts
Calla Lily	Zantedeschia sp.	All parts
Cardinal Flower	Lobelia sp.	All parts
Carolina Jessamine	Gelsemium sp.	Foliage, flowers, sap
Cassava	Manihot utilissima	Roots
Castor Bean	Ricinus communis	Uncooked beans
Chalice Vine	Campsis sp.	All parts
Cherry	Prunus sp.	Inner pit seeds
Cherry Laurel	Prunus laurocerasus	Foliage and flowers
China Berry Tree	Melia azedarach	Berries
Christmas Berry	Schinus terebinthifolius	Berries
Christmas Cactus	Euphorbia pulcherrima	Entire plant
Christmas Rose	Helleborus niger	Foliage and flowers
Columbine	Aquilega sp.	Foliage, flowers, seeds
Common Privet	Ligustrum sp.	Foliage and berries
Coral Plant	Solanum pseudocapsicum	All parts
Crocus	Anemone sp.	Bulbs
Croton	Codiaeum sp.	Foliage, shoots
Cyclamen	Cyclamen sp.	Foliage, stems, flowers
Daffodil	Narcissus sp.	All parts
Daphne	Daphne sp.	Berries
Death Camus	Zigadenus sp.	ALL; esp. roots
Deadly Nightshade	Solanum dulcamara	Foliage, fruit, sp.routs
Delphinium	Delphinium sp.	All parts
Destroying Angel (Death Cap)	Amanita verna	All parts of mushroom
Dogwood	Cornus sericaea	Fruit mildly toxic
Dumb Cane	Dieffenbachia sp.	Foliage
Eggplant	Solanum melongenum	Foliage only
Elderberry	Sambucus sp.	Leaves, bark, and shoots
Elephant Ear (Taro)	Alocasia sp.	Foliage
English Ivy	Hedera sp.	All esp. berries
False Hellebore	Adonis sp.	All parts
Fiddleneck	Amsinckia sp.	All parts
Fly Agaric (Death Cap)	Amanita verna	All parts- cap and stem
Four o'Clock	Mirabilis jalapa	All parts
Foxglove	Digitalis purpurea	Foliage and flowers
Golden Chain	Laburnum anagyroides	Seeds and pods
Groundsel	Senecio sp.	All parts
Henbane	Hyoscyamus muticus	All parts
Holly	Ilex sp.	Foliage and berries
Horse Chestnut	Aesculus sp.	All parts
Horsetail Reed	Equisetum arvense	All parts
Hyacinth Hortensia	Hyacinthus orientalis	All parts
Hydrangea	Hydrangea macrophylla	All parts
Iris Flags	Iris sp.	All parts
Ivy (all forms)	Hedera sp.	Foliage and fruit
Jack-in-the-Pulpit	Triphyllum arisaema	Roots are mildly toxic
Jasmine (Star Jasmine)	Jasminium/ Bouvardia sp.	Foliage, flowers, nectar
	Jatropha sp.	Seeds and oily sap
Jerusalem Cherry	Solanum pseudocapsicum	Foliage and fruit
Yellow Jessamine	Gelsemium semperivens	All parts
Jimson Weed (Thorn Apple)	Datura stramonium (Locoweed)	Foliage, flowers, pods
Johnson Grass, wilted	Sorghum halapense	All parts
Lambkill Sheep Laurel	Kalmia angustifolia	Foliage
Larkspur	Delphinium variegatum	Young plant; seeds, pods
Laurel	Daphne mezereum	All parts
Lily of the Field	Anemone sp.	Leaves, flowers
Lily of the Valley	Convallaria majalis	Foliage and flowers
Locusts	Robinia sp.	All parts
Lupine	Lupinus sp.	Esp. seeds and pods
Machineel		All parts
Marijuana	Cannabis sativa	All parts
May Apple	Crataegus sp. ?	Fruit
Mescal	Lophophora williamsii	All parts may be toxic
Milk Weed	Asclepias	Foliage
Mistletoe	Phoradendron serotinum	Foliage and berries
Moccasin Flower	Cypredium acaule	Foliage and flowers
Monkshood	Aconitum sp.	Entire plant, incl roots
Moonseed	Menispermum canadense	Berries
Morning Glory	Ipomoea tricolor	Foliage, flowers, seeds
Mountain Laurel	Kalmia latifolia	Young leaves and shoots
Mushrooms (some wild forms)		Entire cap and stem
Narcissus	Narcissus sp.	Bulb, flowers
Natal Cherry		Berries, foliage
Nectarine	Prunus persicava	Only inner pit seeds
Nightshades	Solanum sp.	All parts, esp. fruits
Oak	Quercus sp.	Leaves and acorns
Oleander	Nerium oleander	All parts
Peach	Prunus sp.	Inner pit seeds
Pear	Pyrus sp.	Seeds only if crushed
Pennyroyal	Mentha pulegium	Foliage and flowers
Peony	Paeonia sp.	Foliage and flowers
Periwinkle	Vinca sp.	All parts
Philodendrons	(some species)	All parts
Pinks	Dianthus sp.	All parts
Plum	Prunus sp.	Inner seeds & foliage
Poinsettia	Euphorbia pulcherrima	Foliage, flowers, sap
Common Poison Bush	Acokanthera oppositifolia	Flowers and fruit
Poison Hemlock	Conium maculatum	Foliage and seeds
Poison Ivy	Toxicodendron radicans	Foliage and fruit
Poison Oak	Tdiversilobum/ quercifolium	Foliage and fruit
Poison Sumac	Rhus sp.	Foliage and fruit
Pokewood (Pokeberry)	Phytolacca americana	Roots, fruit
Poppy (not California)	Papaver sp.	All parts
Potato	Solanum tuberosum	Raw foliage and sprouts
Pothos	Epipremnum Pothos aureus	Foliage
Redwood	Sequoia sempervivens	Wet wood resinoids
Rhubarb	Rheum rababarum	Uncooked foliage, stems
Rhododendron	Rhododendron sp.	Foliage and flowers
Rosary Pea	Abrus precatorius	Foliage, flowers, pods
Rosemary	Rosemarinus sp.	Foliage in some sp.ecies
Russian Thistle	Salsola sp.	Foliage and flowers
Sage	Salvia sp.	Foliage in some sp.ecie
Salmonberry	Rubus sp.ectabilis	Foliage and fruit
Scarlet Pimpernel	Anagallis arvensis	Foliage, flowers, fruit
Skunk Cabbage	Varatrum californicum	Roots
Snapdragon	Antirrhinum sp.	Foliage and flowers
Snow on the Mountain	Euphorbia sp. (Spurge)	Foliage, flowers, sap
Spanish Bayonet	Yucca harrimaniae	Foliage and flowers
Squirrel Corn	Dicentra canadensis	Foliage, flowers, seeds
Sudan Grass, wilted	Sorghum sudanense	All parts
Star of Bethlehem	Campanula isophylla	Foliage, flowers
Sundew	Drosera sp.	Foliage
Sweetpea	Lathyrus sp.	Stems
Tansy	Tanacetum sp.	Foliage and flowers
Taro (Elephant Ears)	Alocasia sp.	Foliage
Tarweed	Madia sativa	Foliage and seeds
Tarweed (Amsinckia)	Hemizonia sp.	Foliage and seeds
Tobacco Plant	Nicotiana sp.	Foliage and flowers
Tiger Lily	Lilium sp.	Foliage, flowers, pods
Toadflax	Linaria/Comandra/Geocaulon	Foliage
Tomato	Toxicodendron ssp.	Foliage and vines
Toyon Berry	Heteromeles arbutifolia	Berries
Tree of Heaven	Ailanthus altissima	Foliage and flowers
Trillium	Trillium sp.	Foliage
Trumpet Vine	Campsis	All parts
Tulip	Tulipa sp.	Bulb, foliage, flowers
Venus Flytrap	Dionaea muscipula	All parts
Shrub Verbena	Lantana camara	All; esp. berries
Vetch several forms	Vicia sp.	Seeds and pods
Virginia Creeper	Parthenocissus sp.	Foliage and seed pods
Water Hemlock	Cicuta maculata	All parts
Wild Parsnip	Pastinaca sativa	Roots, foliage
Wisteria	Wisteria sp.	Foliage, seeds, pods
Yellow Star Thistle	Centaurea sp.	Foliage and flowers
Yew	Taxus sp.	Foliage and fruit

Good luck! Bill Mears