Watch Young Children around These Houseplants

Watch Young Children around These Houseplants

Indoor plants are a beautiful way to brighten up your home, especially in the gray months of winter.

But there can be a dark side to houseplants if you have children or if children visit your home. It is important that you know which plants are toxic¹ to young, curious humans.

Gardening expert Jessica Damiano recently wrote about the issue for The Associated Press. She said she often points out houseplants in friends' homes that should be kept out of children's mouths. "I don't mind dashing friends' hopes of an Instagram-worthy indoor jungle if it means...preventing harm," Damiano wrote.

Kaitlyn Brown works at America's Poison Centers in Arlington, Virginia. She told the AP, "We get an average of 33,000 calls a year from people whose kids put different plants in their mouths."

She added that the cases usually involve children under 3, "because they explore their environment," she said, "and they put everything in their mouths."

Most accidental exposures are not serious, Brown said. But in some cases a child's breathing, skin and eyes can be badly harmed.

Damiano wrote that she recently visited her cousin's home and saw a Dieffenbachia plant in the kitchen. Her cousin told her that her young son, who had just begun crawling, had shown interest in the leaves.

Damiano had to explain to her cousin that eating a small amount of the plant's stem can cause temporary but severe pain. The plant parts can cause throat and mouth swelling². The plant's sap can cause nose, skin and eye pain.

Other plants that can cause similar reactions include: Caladium, flamingo³ flower, Swiss cheese plant, peace lily, ZZ plant, philodendron and pothos.

Amaryllis and its relatives including clivia and daffodil, contain lycorine, a toxic substance that can cause a range of stomach issues.

Damiano wrote that parents should teach their young children not to put non-food plant parts into their mouths. Parents should also educate themselves, she said. She urges parents to research whether the plants in their homes are safe to grow around children. She also suggests learning the official botanical names of any houseplants so that they are able to provide that information quickly to a poison control expert, if needed.

Not all houseplants are problematic, of course. Spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) are nontoxic and are also among the easiest indoor plants to grow.

African violets, Boston ferns, Christmas cactus⁴, waxplants, parlor⁵ palms, radiator⁶ plants, prayer plants and baby's tears are other safe choices.

Words in This Story

dash - v. to destroy or ruin (something, such as a hope or an expectation)

exposure - n. the fact or condition of being affected⁷ by something or experiencing something : the condition of being exposed to something

swelling - n. the condition of being larger than normal

1 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

2 swelling   

n.肿胀

参考例句：

• Use ice to reduce the swelling. 用冰敷消肿。
• There is a marked swelling of the lymph nodes. 淋巴结处有明显的肿块。

3 flamingo   

n.红鹳，火烈鸟

参考例句：

• This is the only species of flamingo in the region,easily recognized by its pink plumage.这是那个地区唯一一种火烈鸟，很容易凭粉红色的羽毛辨认出来。
• In my family,I am flamingo in the flock of pigeons.在家里，我就像一只被困在鸽笼里的火烈鸟。

4 cactus   

n.仙人掌

参考例句：

• It was the first year that the cactus had produced flowers.这是这棵仙人掌第一年开花。
• The giant cactus is the vegetable skycraper.高大的仙人掌是植物界巨人。

5 parlor   

n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅

参考例句：

• She was lying on a small settee in the parlor.她躺在客厅的一张小长椅上。
• Is there a pizza parlor in the neighborhood?附近有没有比萨店？

6 radiator   

n.暖气片，散热器

参考例句：

• The two ends of the pipeline are connected with the radiator.管道的两端与暖气片相连接。
• Top up the radiator before making a long journey.在长途旅行前加满散热器。

7 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。