Native Plants

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Tuesday - September 23, 2008

From: Ovilla, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Shrubs
Title: Trees and shrubs that are not poisonous to horses
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

What non poisonous trees or shrubs or hedges would work for being near horses?

ANSWER:

You can find a list of recommended native species that are commercially available for north central Texas by choosing that area from the map on our Recommended Species page. You can check the species that interest you against the Texas Toxic Plants Database. For instance, if you happen to pick Aesculus glabra (horse chestnut), a very attractive plant, your will find that is definitely not good for horses, despite its name.

Here are a few recommendations for native trees and shrubs for north central Texas that are not toxic for horses:

Carya illinoinensis (pecan)

Cercis canadensis var. texensis (Texas redbud)

Fraxinus americana (white ash)

Frangula caroliniana (Carolina buckthorn)

Rhus lanceolata (prairie sumac)

Ulmus americana (American elm)

Ulmus crassifolia (cedar elm)

Viburnum rufidulum (rusty blackhaw)

Here are a few links to pages with lists of plants poisonous to horses:

Equisearch.com

Trail Blazer magazine

ASPCA

Ohio State University

Also, you will fiind several previously answered questions about horses and toxic plants by entering "horses" in the KEYWORD SEARCH box on the Mr. Smarty Plants page.