15 Poisonous Flowers to Know (for Kids, Pets and Gardens)

By the Garden Voila editorial team · Updated October 30, 2026 · How we verify

Many of the most beautiful garden flowers are poisonous. That does not mean you need to rip them out; generations of gardeners have grown foxglove, daffodils and hydrangeas safely. It does mean knowing which plants are risky, especially if young children or pets share the garden, and taking a few sensible precautions.

If you think someone has eaten a poisonous plant, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 in the United States, or use poison.org. Call 911 if the person is unconscious, having a seizure or struggling to breathe. For pets, call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.

15 common poisonous flowers

This list highlights common ornamental flowers; it is not complete. Many vegetables also have toxic parts, such as rhubarb leaves and green potato skins.

Flowers to be most careful with

Around young children

Toddlers put everything in their mouths, and brightly colored berries and seed pods are especially tempting. Be cautious with lily of the valley, lantana, wisteria, castor bean, daffodil bulbs and angel’s trumpet in play areas.

Around cats

True lilies and daylilies are the biggest danger to cats; even licking pollen can be fatal. Our guide to what flowers are toxic to cats covers this in detail and lists cat-safe alternatives.

Around dogs

Dogs are more likely to dig up and chew bulbs. Daffodil, tulip, hyacinth and autumn crocus bulbs are the main risk, along with sago palm, azaleas and oleander.

Sensible precautions

• Know what you grow. Keep plant labels or a list with botanical names. It helps Poison Control or a vet give the right advice quickly.
• Teach children never to eat any part of a garden plant unless an adult says it is food.
• Place risky plants thoughtfully, away from play areas, dog runs and paths, or choose safer alternatives while children are small.
• Wear gloves when handling monkshood, euphorbias, foxglove and bulbs, and wash your hands afterward.
• Store bulbs out of reach; daffodil bulbs can be mistaken for onions.
• Never burn oleander clippings; the smoke is toxic.
• Clean up fallen seed pods and berries.

Should you avoid poisonous flowers?

For most gardens, no. Many toxic plants are bitter, which discourages anyone from eating much, and they are often the same plants deer and rabbits leave alone. Daffodils are a classic example, as explained in how to plant daffodil bulbs. Foxglove and larkspur are cottage garden staples; see our cottage garden guide for how to design with them. The key is awareness and placement, especially while children are young or if you have curious pets. Our flower garden guide includes plenty of easy, non-toxic options too.

Safer alternatives for family gardens

If you want a flower garden that is lower-risk for young children and pets, these popular plants are widely considered non-toxic and are easy to grow:

Teaching kids about plant safety

• Set a simple rule: nothing from the garden goes in your mouth unless a grown-up says it is food.
• Grow a few clearly edible plants, such as strawberries, cherry tomatoes and snap peas, in their own bed so children know where safe snacks are.
• Teach them to wash their hands after gardening.
• Point out plants to leave alone and explain why, without making the garden frightening.

Poisonous houseplants and gift plants

Many plants that come indoors as gifts are also toxic, including amaryllis, cyclamen, kalanchoe, peace lilies, pothos, dieffenbachia and lilies in bouquets. Keep them on high shelves away from pets and toddlers. Our houseplant guides, including peace lily care and pothos care, note pet safety for each plant.

What not to do after a suspected poisoning

• Do not wait for symptoms before calling for advice.
• Do not make anyone vomit unless a medical professional tells you to.
• Do not rely on internet remedies such as salt water, milk or charcoal from a medicine cabinet.
• Do keep a sample or photo of the plant to help identify it.

Poisonous flowers and their toxic parts: Texas A&M Earth-Kind list

Texas A&M Earth-Kind Landscaping compiles the toxic parts and effects of common garden plants. The flower garden entries are especially useful for home gardeners:

Shrubs and ornamentals

The same publication lists laurels, rhododendrons and azaleas (all parts, fatal, with nausea, vomiting, breathing difficulty and coma), daphne (a few berries can kill a child), wisteria (seeds and pods cause digestive upset and many children have been poisoned), jasmine berries, green lantana berries and yew (berries and foliage, with foliage more toxic than berries and death often sudden). Rhubarb leaf blades, raw or cooked, can cause convulsions and coma in large amounts, while the stalks are the edible part.

Field and wild plants

Buttercups have irritant juices, nightshade is fatal especially in unripe berries, poison hemlock looks like a large wild carrot and is fatal, jimson weed causes thirst, distorted vision and delirium, and water hemlock causes violent convulsions. Jack-in-the-pulpit contains calcium oxalate crystals that burn the mouth. The key general advice is that one part of a plant may be edible while another is poisonous, and many poisonous plants look harmless.

University of Illinois Extension on toxins

Illinois Extension notes that daffodil, hyacinth and narcissus contain lycorine (typically causing nausea), lily-of-the-valley contains a toxin that can affect the heart, every part of larkspur and foxglove is toxic, azaleas and rhododendron contain grayanotoxin in flowers and leaves, and poison ivy contains urushiol, which causes rash and blisters and can spread through smoke when burned. It recommends consulting the Illinois Poison Center List of Plants to Avoid.

Pets

UC Davis veterinarians warn that Lilium lilies, including Easter, Stargazer and Asiatic, are lethal to cats in tiny amounts, with kidney failure likely within 36 to 72 hours. See our cat-safety guides for detail.

Practical rules for households

1. Identify every plant by its botanical name.
2. Teach children never to eat berries, seeds or flowers from the garden.
3. Wear gloves when handling sap-producing or irritating plants.
4. Put toxic plants out of reach or do not grow them where young children or pets play.
5. Keep the national poison control number handy.

Bulbs, berries and seeds: the parts that cause most poisonings

Many serious poisonings involve small parts of otherwise ordinary plants. The Texas A&M list names bulbs of hyacinth, narcissus and daffodil, autumn crocus and star of Bethlehem; berries of daphne, jasmine, yew and green lantana; seeds and pods of wisteria; and seed capsules of golden chain. Wisteria has poisoned many children, and a few daphne berries can kill a child. If you have toddlers, avoid planting berry-bearing shrubs near play areas, and store bulbs well away from kitchens because a bulb can be mistaken for an onion.

Sap and skin contact

Some plants hurt on contact. Illinois Extension notes poison ivy contains urushiol throughout the plant, which causes rash and blisters and can spread between surfaces or through smoke when burned. Four o clock sap and roots, as University of Wisconsin Extension reports, can irritate sensitive skin. Wear gloves and long sleeves for pruning and weeding, wash hands and tools afterwards, and do not burn unknown brush.

Wild and field plants to recognize

Water hemlock grows in moist places and is fatal with violent convulsions; poison hemlock resembles a large wild carrot; nightshade is most dangerous in unripe berries; and moonseed berries resemble wild grapes. Mistletoe berries are fatal to children and adults, and mayapple fruit, foliage and roots contain at least 16 toxic compounds. Teach children and visitors that wild fruit should never be eaten unless an adult has identified it.

If someone eats part of a plant

1. Remove any plant material from the mouth.
2. Call your local poison control center or emergency number immediately and describe the plant, the part eaten and how much.
3. Do not induce vomiting unless a professional tells you to.
4. Take a sample or photo of the plant to the hospital.

The Illinois Poison Center and similar services keep lists of plants with symptoms and steps to take. Know your own local number before you need it.

Reading plant lists the right way

Plant toxicity lists can mislead if you read them as a simple safe or unsafe sorting. The Texas A&M publication stresses that one part of a plant may be edible while another is poisonous, rhubarb being the classic example: stalks are eaten, leaf blades can cause convulsions and coma. Toxicity also depends on dose, age and species: oak foliage and acorns cause gradual kidney damage and need a large amount, while a single rosary pea seed has caused death.

Use lists to prioritize. Remove or fence off the most dangerous plants first (yew, oleander, daphne, laburnum or golden chain, castor bean, monkshood, foxglove), supervise children near moderately toxic ones, and relax about those that cause mostly mild stomach upset. A garden with some toxic plants is not unsafe if you know what they are, label them and teach children rules. Regularly walk the garden with children and name plants together so they learn which are for looking only.

Garden centers and gifts

When you buy plants, check tags for botanical names and warnings, and read about toxicity before putting a plant in a bed that children or pets use. Be careful with bouquets and potted holiday plants as well.

Teaching children plant safety

Simple rules work best: never eat any part of a plant without an adult confirming it is food, do not suck on flowers or make play drinks from petals or berries, and wash hands after gardening. Give children their own safe plants, such as sunflowers, herbs and strawberries, so curiosity has a safe outlet. Supervise play near wild areas, where nightshade, hemlock and mayapple may grow.

Sources and further reading

• Poison Control (National Capital Poison Center), online help and plant safety information
• Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants, ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center
• Lethal toxicity of lilies to cats, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine

This article is general information, not medical or veterinary advice.

Frequently asked questions

Reviewed October 2026. Sources: Texas A&M Earth-Kind: Common poisonous plants and plant parts University of Illinois Extension: Knowing poisonous plants UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine: Lilies and cats