About Is It Poisonous

Is It Poisonous is a plain-language plant safety reference. Most people who land here are worried about one specific plant: a child or a pet has chewed on something, or a new houseplant has arrived and the question is simply whether it is safe to keep around.

So every plant profile leads with the answer. A clear verdict at the top tells you whether the plant is safe, whether it calls for caution, or whether it is toxic to people, dogs, and cats. The rest of the page explains which parts are dangerous, what symptoms to watch for, and what to do if any was eaten.

How the verdicts are decided

Each profile is sorted into one of three categories:

• Safe means the plant is considered non-toxic in normal contact. A curious nibble is not a cause for alarm.
• Use caution means the plant is mildly to moderately toxic. Most exposures cause an upset stomach at worst, but it is still worth keeping out of reach.
• Toxic means the plant can be genuinely dangerous if eaten, sometimes seriously so. Treat any ingestion as something to act on quickly.

These verdicts summarise the general toxicity picture for a plant. They are not a substitute for professional advice about a specific situation, a specific dose, or a specific animal.

What this site is not

This is a reference, not a clinic. It does not diagnose, and it does not give treatment instructions beyond pointing you to the right help. Toxicity also depends on the amount eaten, the size and species of who ate it, and other factors no general page can know.

If a plant has been eaten and someone is unwell, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 (US) or your local emergency number, or contact a veterinarian. Do not wait for symptoms to appear.