13 Toxic Plants That Could Be Hiding in Your Home and Garden

Knowing which poisonous plants are around your home can protect you, your kids, and your pets from a medical emergency.

When I was a child, my five-year-old sister decided the best solution to her late-night hunger was to eat the Peace Lily plant in our living room. I vividly remember her bright red face and swelling tongue. I still remember the emergency room — and the fact that none of my family ever decided to eat a random plant again.

Motivated to prevent anyone else from going through that experience, we’ve compiled this list of common poisonous household plants that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services warns can be dangerous when ingested, inhaled, or even touched. We’ve also included plants that are dangerous to pets.

Poison Ivy

Native to North America, Poison Ivy commonly grows in yards and around the walls of buildings. It produces an itchy rash via direct contact or inhalation when it’s burning.

The reaction is triggered by the plant’s clear, oily sap which contains the highly irritating ‘urushiol’. Even less than a grain of salt of the irritant can cause a reaction.

How to Spot It:

• Typically grows like a shrub or vine
• Sub-leaves on each main leaf, with pointed tips.
• May grow white berries.
• Has a hair-like texture.
• Red in spring, green in summer, and yellow to red in fall.

Poison Oak

Similar to Poison Ivy, Poison Oak is just as common and will also cause an irritating skin rash upon contact or inhalation. It also produces urushiol but symptoms should go away within two weeks. Look out for it growing around your trees and walls to prevent your kids from touching it!

How to Spot It:

• Poison Oak typically grows as a vine, not a tree (despite its name).
• It features three leaflets with rounded tips.
• The undersides of the leaves have a furry-like texture.
• The top is darker than the bottom side.
• It may grow white or yellow berries.

Poison Sumac

Poison Sumac is considered more poisonous than Poison Oak and Poison Ivy, despite also causing irritation via urushiol contact or inhalation.

Poison Sumac can easily be mistaken for the non-poisonous variety of Sumac, but be warned as minor rashes can develop into fluid-filled blisters.

How to Spot It:

• Poison Sumac grows as a tree.
• Poison Sumac leaves have around seven to 13 leaflets, growing in pairs.
• It may grow cream, yellow, or green-colored berries.
• If you see red berries, it is the nonpoisonous sumac.

Peace Lily

The National Poison Control Center reports that Peace Lily is one of their most complained about household plants.

These pretty flowers may make great decorations but contain very small yet powerful amounts of insoluble calcium oxalate crystals. If your child were to bite any part of a Piece Lily then immediate swelling to the mouth can occur, followed by coughing and vomiting.

How to Spot It:

• Peace Lily plants have glossy, dark green, oval leaves.
• Their single large white, smooth petals surround the yellow spadix.
• Peace Lilies can grow as tall as 2 meters tall.

Elephant’s Ear

A yard statement piece due to its large green leaves, the ‘Elephant’s Ear’ plant will cause skin irritation upon direct contact with the stems and leaves. Reactions can also be caused by the plant’s sap, thorns or ingestion. Symptoms may include vomiting or diarrhea.

How to Spot It:

• Very large, heart-shaped leaves that grow in bunches on long, tall stalks.
• A single leaf can grow as big as a human.
• Leaves can be green, black, purple, yellow, or a mix.

Devil’s Ivy

Low-maintenance and pleasant on the eye, Devil’s Ivy, or Pothos plants, are very popular both inside and outside the home. But if ingested, its calcium oxalate crystals can cause serious allergic reactions.

Swelling of the mouth, lips, throat, and tongue can be expected. Contact with sap may also cause skin dermatitis. Pets are prone to suffering reactions after eating the leaves.

How to Spot It:

• Pothos plants feature heart-shaped leaves.
• Potted Pothos plant leaves will grow up to 20 cm long.
• Large Pothos plant leaves may grow as much as 100cm long.
• Flowers are not typically found on household, cultivated Pothos.

Sago Palm

An eye-catching and tropical addition to any home, the Sago Palm is highly poisonous when ingested. Pets and children are prone to chewing on the plant (and its seeds), resulting in vomiting, diarrhea and even serious damage to the liver.

Any signs of discomfort should be immediately addressed as symptoms will likely worsen.

How to Spot It:

• Sago Palms have glossy, dark green, and spiky leaves.
• They have sturdy, thick trunks.
• The leaves can grow about three to four feet long.
• You may notice spikes, like a cactus, as the leaves grow.

Daffodils

They may look sweet, innocent, and peaceful, but Daffodils are more toxic than my best friend’s ex. Should you swallow or chew on any part of the plant you can expect mouth irritation, vomiting, diarrhea, and severe abdominal pains. Thankfully, the symptoms should subside after a few hours.

How to Spot It:

• Daffodils can be spotted via their six yellow or white petals surrounding the inner central trumpet.
• They have long sturdy green stems and thin leaves.
• One flower grows per stem.

Croton

It may look lovely, but the popular Croton house plant would feel anything but lovely if you touch its sap, get cut by it, or have a taste. You’d rather not suffer from a nasty rash and vomiting, right?

How to Spot It?

• Colorful tiny leaves, often found in pots.
• Grows as a shrub.
• Grows tiny white flowers.

Snake Plant

The Snake Plant, or Mother-In-Law’s Tongue, may be very popular due to its low maintenance and air purifying qualities but it can also cause minor allergic reactions if ingested, such as a rash, vomiting, and diarrhea. Snake plants are known for causing issues with hungry pets.

How to Spot It:

• Snake plants have green, leathery, sharp-pointed leaves.
• The leathers often have a pattern, similar to that of a snake.
• It can flower once per year, producing cream-colored flowers and small orange berries.

Swiss Cheese Plant

The Swiss Cheese plant has been a household decoration ever since its rise to popularity in the 1970s, but that won’t save you from severe discomfort if you eat it. Oral irritation, swelling of the mouth, vomiting, and burning are all common symptoms, for humans and animals.

How to Spot It:

• Swiss Cheese Plants get their names from the holes found in their large leaves, resembling a block of Swiss cheese.
• The holes may break through to the outer edges of the leaves.
• The leaves can grow up to 1m long.
• It is a climbing part.

Easter Lily

Easter Lily plants are very pretty and make great additions to any home around the Easter holiday season; except for homes with cats. Vomiting, kidney failure and even death are a possibility for a cat that nibbles on an Easter Lily. Humans will also suffer irritations and an allergic reaction if consumed. Eat something else.

How to Spot It:

• Easter Lilies have tubular flowers 3-7 inches long, with overlapping petals in a trumpet shape.
• They are often bought in a range of colors, including white, yellow, cream or pink.

Mistletoe

Regardless of which type of Mistletoe you have, it will be poisonous in some form; that’s due to the toxic protein, phoratoxin. So be warned, next Christmas, don’t give into your intrusive thoughts and have a munch instead of a kiss under the mistletoe.

It’s possible you’d suffer no symptoms, but it’s also possible you’d suffer gastrointestinal symptoms and vomiting. No thanks!

How to Spot It:

• Small green shrub, with spherical white balls growing from the stems.
• Oval, evergreen leaves that grow in pairs.
• Thin, rounded, green stems.