Hi everyone. I have 2 new indoor plants and would like to know if anyone there knows whether they are "harmless" (not poisonous) to small children or not. Their names are: Senecio himalaya Chlorophytum Comosum bonnie I've tried searching the web but cant find any information. Thank you.
I am not sure about your specific Senecio, but several different species of this plant do have potentially toxic alkaloids that, in sufficient amounts, accumulated over time, appear to be toxic to the liver. It is a little unclear how all this was discovered. However, since many Senecio species have potentially "medicinal" properties, I am going to guess a few folks were overdosed. Having said all of that, it is likely that your plant is safe to be in your home. Your Chlorophytum appears to be non-toxic. Here is a good web link. http://lancaster.unl.edu/factsheets/031.htm
I can vouch for spiderplants being safe, according to my pets anyway. My cat and dog would eat the leaves like they were eating candy. I had to move all the spiders to another room, or risk having nothing left but a pot of dirt with roots!
Thats because both are fictitious names. Senecio "Himalaya" is neither a cultivar name nor a hybrid. Its a phony name that was given to Senecio barbertonicus by nurserymen. The plant is African not Asiatic in origin. Besides the original green form of Chlorophytum comosum, there are two variegated cultivars, none of the are named "Bonnie". I see that someone had the nerve to patent the name "Bonnie" for one of the old widely grown variegates of the species. http://www.oglesbytc.com/culture-chlorophytum-comosum-bonnie.html While neither of them are "poisonous" to children, children should be discouraged from eating ornamental plants anyway. Cats often chew the leaves of Chlorophytum to cough up "fur balls".
Oops! OK, kids, stop chewing on the plants. ; ) It is just amazing that any of us make it through childhood. You can train a dog to do all sorts of things before they are 6 months old, but children....
