by Leslie Cox; Monday; July 17, 2023

I have always been a firm believer that forewarned is forearmed. And this is especially true when gardeners are working around plants. Many, many plants contain compounds which can be harmful to humans and animals. The list would astound you.

For example, I wrote an article for my Duchess of Dirt column in 2008 about a friend who had a bad skin reaction after she harvested her parsnips. Turns out, the seemingly innocuous but very healthy parsnip contains the same compound as the invasive plant giant hogweed.

You likely would not even make the connection if you knew parsnip’s botanical name is Pastinaca sativa and giant hogweed’s is Heracleum mantegazzianum. It is not until you learn that both plants are in the Umbellifer family that you find out they are cousins, so to speak.

Back to the subject of my latest column appearing in the Comox Valley Record newspaper on July 19th, Daphne laureola. It was very nice of Pat to write to the editor of the Comox Valley Record newspaper to inform people about the presence of non-native spurge-laurel in the Comox area. However, some of the information about the toxicity of this plant was not quite correct.

Agreed. All parts of the plant contain poisonous compounds…daphnetoxin, mezerein, and dihydroxycoumarin to name but three. And yes, if enough of any part of spurge-laurel is ingested by humans or animals, it may be lethal.

Thankfully, most animals naturally avoid this plant. Birds and rodents will eat the black berries which is how the seeds are generally spread, but not many humans, children included, would get past the sour taste of them. There is one case of a child dying after eating 2 or 3 berries but that is the only human poisoning incidence I could find. One pig and a horse died from eating part of a daphne plant but those were the only animal deaths mentioned.

My point: death is rare. But not to say you would not be sick if you ate any part of the plant…if you could possibly find it palatable.

However, getting the sap on your skin or in your eyes is another story altogether. Everyone should be careful of getting anything in their eyes so goggles are always a recommended safety precaution if you are removing a daphne from your garden. And long sleeves, long pants, gloves and proper shoes are also recommended to ensure none of the plant sap comes in touch with your skin. Depending on your skin sensitivity, the sap may cause a rash or painful blistering.

Like I said…forewarned is forearmed.

One more thing…Daphne laureola is quite a nice evergreen plant in its own right. Every bit as nice as their look-alike the rhododendron which Pat alluded to in her letter. (Did you know rhodos are a toxic plant too?) If you decide you would like to keep it in your garden, please remember that the birds and rodents will spread the berries, and hence, the seeds around your neighbourhood. Be a responsible gardener and remove the flowers when they have finished blooming…BEFORE the seeds form.

Next post I will talk about some of the benefits researchers are finding about the Daphne laureola. Please check back.