Native Plants

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Tuesday - May 12, 2009

From: Round Rock, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Poisonous Plants
Title: Is Penstemon cobaea poisonous
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Is Penstemon cobaea Nutt or Wild foxglove poisonous like real fox glove? It is on a playground and Im concerned that it may not be safe for children.

ANSWER:

Penstemon cobaea (wild foxglove) does NOT appear in any of our favorite toxic plant databases:

Poisonous Plants of North Carolina

Cornell University Plants Poisonous to Livestock

Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System

University of Pennsylvania Poisonous Plants

Toxic Plants of Texas

University of California-Davis Toxic Plants

So, despite the fact that it shares the same common name as the non-native Digitalis purpurea, Foxglove (which is highly toxic), Penstemon cobaea (wild foxglove) is NOT poisonous and should be perfectly safe to have in a playground.