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
Sunday - March 11, 2012
From: Fulshear, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Poisonous Plants, Shrubs, Trees
Title: Is Texas Mountain Laurel Honey Toxic in Fulshear, TX?
Answered by: Jimmy Mills
QUESTION:
Toxicity of Texas Mountain Laurel HONEY I know the seeds and leaves of the Tx Mountain Laurel are toxic. But, is honey that comes from the Mountain Laurel toxic too? I heard that it is, but can't imagine??ANSWER:
The notion that honey bees can transfer toxic substances from flowers to their honey is a new one for Mr. Smarty Plants. However, I’ve copied a portion of an article from Wikipedia that gives some examples of this. Scroll down to 11.2 in the Table of Contents.
11.2 Toxic Honey;
Main article: Bees and toxic chemicals#Toxic honey
Honey produced from flowers of oleanders, rhododendrons, mountain laurels, sheep laurel, and azaleas may cause honey intoxication. Symptoms include dizziness, weakness, excessive perspiration, nausea, and vomiting. Less commonly, low blood pressure, shock, heart rhythm irregularities, and convulsions may occur, with rare cases resulting in death. Honey intoxication is more likely when using "natural" unprocessed honey and honey from farmers who may have a small number of hives. Commercial processing, with pooling of honey from numerous sources, claims it dilutes any toxins but these findings are not verifiable.
The mountain laurel mentioned is Kalmia latifolia (Mountain laurel) which grows from Louisiana to the East Coast, and is more toxic than our Sophora secundiflora (Texas mountain laurel).
This link to foodsafteysite.com identifies the toxin as grayanotoxin which is found in Kalmia latifolia, but not Sophora secundiflora. It also makes the point that you should know the source of the honey and consume only processed honey, avoiding honey from farmers with only a few hives.
From the Image Gallery
More Trees Questions
My Cedar Elms drop leaves all year long. Is that a problem?
February 10, 2013 - Lake LBJ Area. My Cedar Elms,(I have about 8) drop leaves all year long and then drop all in late fall/early winter. Does the year round drop indicate a problem? It is definitely a nuisance.
Thanks
view the full question and answer
Why are my lemon Cyprees trees turning Black?
April 01, 2010 - I have 3 lemon Cypress plants - all are about 6 feet tall. One of them has started turning black on one side - like it's been burnt. The inside of the plant is also turning black. I assume something ...
view the full question and answer
Difference between live oaks and post oaks in Driftwood TX
April 18, 2010 - What are the differences between Live Oaks and Post Oaks, and are both susceptible to Oak Wilt? Also, should we remove the Ball Moss on the branches of these trees? Or is the light green lichen on the...
view the full question and answer
Problems with red oak in New Braunfels TX
May 11, 2009 - One of my red oaks still doesn't have all its flowers. The main bark has some dark stuff oozing out and one of the branches has a fine powdery substance on it. HELP!!!!
view the full question and answer
Eliminating suckers from roots of Moraine locust in Hilliard, OH
July 07, 2009 - We removed a large Moraine Locust tree and also the stump. Now little trees from the roots are coming up. How do we get rid of these so something else can be planted?
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |