Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
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Monday - October 18, 2010
From: Redding, CA
Region: California
Topic: Poisonous Plants
Title: Are the leaves of the Fruitless Palm Tree poisonous in Redding California?
Answered by: Jimmy Mills
QUESTION:
Are Fruitless Palm Tree leaves poisonous? I was poked in the hand with a leaf of one of the branches. It was a dead leaf/Branch? Please Help!ANSWER:
Mr. Smarty Plants certainly hopes that you are not waiting for an answer from us before seeking medical attention! Click on this link to the Mayo Clinic regarding puncture wounds before proceeding further in the answer.
The problem here is that the name Fruitless Palm Tree is a common name (perhaps used only locally) and is not readily findable in the data bases that we use. The family Arecaceae (aka Palmae) contains the the "Palms", and there are an estimated 2600 species worldwide, distributed generally in the tropics and subtropics. One of the most cold hardy palms is Trachycarpus fortunei whicn can be grown as far north as British Columbia. Click on the link and see if this looks like the palm that you have.
When we are asked about toxic plants, we usually go to the databases listed below.
Poisonous Plants of North Carolina
Cornell University Plants Poisonous to Livestock
University of Pennsylvania Poisonous Plants
Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System
I looked through these sites, but couldn't find the palm that attacked you. The folks at the Shasta County Office of the Universisty of California Cooperative Extension could provide help with determining the botanical name of the Fruitless Palm Tree. This would make using the toxic plant databases more fruitful.
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