Dangerous plants

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• Your young child may see the garden as a gigantic salad.
• Plants with a strong smell, milky sap, red berries or self-sown seed are often poisonous.
• Commonly used dangerous plants are listed below.

Many plants, such as daffodils and azaleas, have poisonous roots or bulbs, but as these are usually underground, they pose little risk. As a general guide, any plant with a strong smell, milky sap, red berries or self-sown seed could be poisonous and is best treated as risky. Fence off or remove any suspect plants until the child is old enough to learn not to eat strange plants, usually at around the age of three.

You can get a list of poisonous plants from your nursery, local council or the Victorian Poisons Information Centre at the Royal Children's Hospital website.

Highly poisonous plants – plants to destroy or remove

• Rhus or wax tree (Toxicodendron succedaneum): triggers strong allergic reactions in many people – rashes, redness, itchiness and blisters over the course of a week or longer. Avoid contact even as a result of touching clothing or tools, or exposure to sawdust or ash. Wear protective clothing when removing.
• Common or pink oleander (Nerium oleander) and yellow oleander (Thevetia peruviana): every part of these shrubs, including the seeds, is poisonous, and one leaf or flower is enough to kill a small child. Symptoms include staggering, vomiting, diarrhoea, irregular heart action, dilated pupils and coma leading to death.
• Castor oil plant (Ricinus communis): a common self-sown weed with toxic seeds, flowers and leaves. A few seeds can be fatal to a child.
• White cedar tree (Melia azedarach): a native tree. Six or more fruits can be fatal.
• Coral tree: leaves, bark and seeds are poisonous, and the seeds are particularly toxic for children.
• Deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna): the attractive round purple/black berries on this plant are highly toxic.

Plants to avoid

• Cacti and other succulents (fleshy plants): children can cut themselves on these or injure their eyes on the spikes.
• Chilies: if your child pops a chili in her mouth or touches one and then rubs her eyes, she will be in some distress. 
• Dumb cane (Dieffenbachia): eating this plant can irritate the mouth and cause swelling, although it will not do any permanent damage.
• Mushrooms and toadstools: although most of the toxic species, such as death caps and the red and white fly agaric, are found in forests and parklands rather than backyards, there are many poisonous species. It might be worth clearing all mushrooms or toadstools from your yard until your child is old enough to learn not to touch.
• Lantana: all parts, especially the green berries of this flowering shrub, can cause stomach pains, jaundice and muscular weakness.
• Belladonna lily, naked lady (Amaryllis belladona): the sap and bulb are especially toxic to children.
• Arum lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica): all parts, especially the juice of leaves and stem, can be fatal.
• Daphne: all parts of this popular ornamental shrub are poisonous, especially the attractive berries.
• Poinsettia: the sap of the Christmas plant can sting or even blind.
• Hemlock (poison parsley) and water hemlock (cowbane): commonly found toxic plants.

Plants to treat with caution

• Angels trumpet (Brugmansia): the flowers, seeds and nectar are very poisonous.
• Cycads: the bright yellow and red seeds are used in bush tucker, but only after the toxins have been leached out. Fresh from the branch, they are poisonous.
• Grevilleas (especially 'Robyn Gordon' and Robusta): some grevillea species can trigger itching, redness and rashes if children have an allergic reaction on contact.
• Rhubarb: all parts, especially the leaves, are poisonous (the stems are safe when cooked).
• Stick weed (Parietaria judaica): may be associated with asthma attacks and can cause skin allergies.
• Bulbs that can be poisonous: lily of the valley, autumn crocus, daffodil, hyacinth, some iris, clivia, hippeastrum, tulips, agapanthus.

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