Native Plants

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Saturday - February 14, 2009

From: Chicago, IL
Region: Midwest
Topic: Poisonous Plants
Title: Is resurrection plant (Selaginella lepidophylla) toxic?
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Is Resurrection plant (Selaginella lepidophylla)toxic? Is it safe for children to handle?

ANSWER:

Mr. Smarty Plants couldn't find any reference to Selaginella lepidophylla (flower of stone) in any of our favorite poisonous plant databases:

Poisonous Plants of North Carolina

Cornell University Plants Poisonous to Livestock

Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System

Universiy of Pennsylvania Poisonous Plants

Texas Toxic Plant Database

Toxic Plants from University of California-Davis

Nor, could I find any entries by Googling "Selaginella lepidophylla poisonous" or "Selaginella lepidophylla toxic" that indicated it had toxic properties. This, of course, isn't a guarantee that it won't cause a reaction for some person who might be allergic to it, but it is a very good indication that there won't be any serious problems.

You might also be interested in reading the answer to another recent question about the resurrection plant.