Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Tuesday - November 01, 2011
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Butterfly Gardens, Poisonous Plants
Title: How toxic are milkweed (Asclepias spp.)?
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
We are considering a monarch waystation for our local elementary and are concerned about milkweed toxicity. Would it be safe to plant it in reach of children?ANSWER:
The Poisonous Plants of North Carolina database says that all parts of Asclepias species are poisonous, but are "Toxic only if large quantities are eaten." The Toxic Plant Database of Purdue University Veterinary School agrees with this assessment. Moreover, the plants are generally unpalatable. Grazing animals don't readily eat them unless they are confined in a pasture with large numbers of plants or the plants have been included in hay given to them. The compounds that are toxic in the milkweeds are cardiac glycosides. The monarch larvae eating the plants sequester these toxins in their exoskeletons where they remain even after they metamorphose into butterflies. Not only do they make the butterflies taste bad, but the glycosides have an emetic effect that causes a predator, such as a bird, to vomit. Predators apparently remember and associate the butterflies with the unpleasant taste and learn to avoid eating the monarch.
According to the Botanical Dermatology Database, several species of the family [e.g., Asclepias viridis (Green antelopehorn)] can cause dermatitis from the milky sap so you should probably protect the plants to keep them from being broken and exuding the sap.
Since milkweeds are unpalatable and they don't contain attractive fruits that might tempt the children to eat them, I don't think that you should be overly concerned about including them in your butterfly garden.
More Poisonous Plants Questions
Is Parthenocissus heptaphylla poisonous?
October 27, 2009 - Hi, I have a simple question for you, but I can't seem to find the answer to it. Is Parthenocissus heptaphylla toxic the way the VA creeper is? From what I've read, they're very similar in many way...
view the full question and answer
Pruning the leaves of Sago Palm.
March 10, 2010 - Is it a cardinal sin to remove all the sago palm branches? This winter they were so badly scorched by the cold that hardly a frond went unaffected. So I cut them all off as I needed to get around the...
view the full question and answer
How to Control Poison Ivy
February 22, 2016 - We have lots of Poison Ivy on a site we are clearing it is adjacent to a pond and children are around this area all the time. We are creating hiking paths. I have a lot of experience but I do not wan...
view the full question and answer
Plant identification of tree in North Carolina
September 07, 2011 - I live in North Carolina have found a tree on our property that has thorny branches and round fruit (perfectly round) with a fuzzy outer layer that starts out green but then turns yellow. The inside r...
view the full question and answer
Are globe mallows (Sphaeralcea spp.) harmful to dogs
May 20, 2010 - My dogs eat the wild globe mallow plants in my yard. Could
that be harmful to them?
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |