Native Plants

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Tuesday - June 16, 2009

From: Independence, MO
Region: Midwest
Topic: Poisonous Plants
Title: Are variegated ginger plants poisonous to cats?
Answered by: Jimmy Mills

QUESTION:

Is a variegated ginger plant poisonous to cats?

ANSWER:

Variegated ginger, Alpinia zerumbet is a native of India, and is widely used in the U.S. as an ornamental. None of the sources that I have found list variegated ginger as being toxic for cats.

I'm providing links for several database that you may also check. To search the lists, I recommend using scientific names (e.g. Alpinia zerumbet) since those names are generally standard, whereas the common names often vary in spelling and usage. You can also check the names of your other plants to see if they might be harmful to cats.

Please note that the absence of of a plant name from these lists does not guarantee that it is non-toxic to cats, but not finding it on the lists makes it less likely to be toxic.

Humane Society

Universtiy of Pennsylvania's Poisonous Plants Database

Texas Toxic Plant Database

Cornell University's Plants Poisonous to Livestock and other Animals