Berries and Seeds
In the fall not a day passes without five to ten calls to the poison control center about children who have eaten wild berries and seeds. Did you know that all plants produce seeds, and all seeds grow into some form of a berry or fruit? To prevent your children from eating poisonous berries and seeds be aware of what grows around you. Here is some basic information about plants commonly found in this region.
Berries
Seeds
Awareness and prevention
Quick checklist
General dos and dont's
Berries
Holly
An evergreen shrub that can grow to be a tree. The leaves are stiff with sharp points and may be edged with white. The berries are hard and bright red. Eating more than 3 holly berries can cause severe and prolonged nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, as well as drowsiness.
Yew
An evergreen shrub with soft bright green needles similar to the "Christmas tree." The berries are soft red capsules with a hard green stone in the center. Eating more than three yew berries can cause vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness, difficulty in breathing, and changes in your child's heart rate.
Pokeweed
This weed can grow up to five feet tall and has thick green-purple stems similar to rhubarb. Pokeweed berries (also known as ink berries) grow in clusters, like grapes, and ripen from white to green to rose and finally purple. Ripe berries stain the hands purple when crushed. Eating over 10 berries may cause headache, abdominal pain, and severe diarrhea. The leaves and the roots have been used in herbal preparations to induce vomiting.
Mistletoe
An evergreen herb with white to pink berries used to decorate for the holidays. Mistletoe berries are considered relatively non-toxic in small quantities. Large amounts of the berries can cause stomach upset. Other parts of the plant can also cause visual disturbances and convulsions. Such complications have been associated with ingesting extracts of the plant (e.g., tea).
American Bittersweet
A woody vine often used in fall wreaths and dried flower arrangements. Its orange-yellow berries are three-part capsules with a seed in each part. They grow at the point where the leaves join the stems. Eating American Bittersweet berries can cause stomach upset and diarrhea.
Juniper
An evergreen tree often used in holiday decorations. Its blue-purple berries have been used in recipes for flavoring. The safety of juniper berries as a food item is questionable since abdominal cramps and diarrhea have been reported when large amounts were eaten.
Dogwood Tree
A spring flowering tree which bears pink or white flowers. In the fall, bright red berries appear at the point where the leaves meet the branches. Dogwood berries are not toxic when eaten, but there have been reports of rashes after skin contact with the tree.
Honeysuckle
A woody climbing vine that produces sweetly fragrant white or yellow flowers. Children often like to suck the honey from the flowers in the spring. In the fall, the vine produces red or orange berries. Neither the flowers nor the berries are reported to be poisonous.
Pyracantha
Also known as "Fire Thorn" because the thorns can cause an irritating rash. An evergreen shrub with orange-red and yellow berries which grow in clusters. The bright colored berries make it a popular landscaping choice. Pyracantha berries are not considered poisonous unless large amounts are eaten; some sources even report them to be edible.
Cotoneaster
An evergreen shrub that tends to grow upright with long branches rather than as a bush. Its bright orange berries grow in clusters so thick that the branches cannot be seen.
Wild strawberries
A wild version of the edible strawberry. It looks exactly like the strawberry you may find in a grocery store, but the taste is not as sweet. Wild strawberries are not poisonous. They grow in the spring, summer and fall.
Seeds
Sweet Peas
An ornamental vine with bean-like pods. Eating the peas repeatedly may cause muscle weakness and difficulty breathing.
Morning Glory
A decorative vine with rose, purple or white trumpet-shaped flowers. In the fall, the flowers become round, brown capsules with 2 or 3 black seeds. Eating the seeds may cause drowsiness and confusion.
Four O'clock
A bush, one to two feet high, with red or yellow flowers. It blooms in the summer and forms seeds which are round or pointed in shape. The seeds can cause stomach upset and cramping.
Jack-in-the-Pulpit
Found in woody areas , this pitcher-shaped wild flower develops a stalk with a cluster of seeds at the top. Eating the seeds can cause mouth pain and discomfort.
Foxglove
A low-growing bushy plant that forms a tall stalk with bell-shaped flowers. The flowers can be any shade of pink, peach, white, or yellow. They have brown spots. All parts of the foxglove are poisonous and can cause changes in the rate and rhythm of the heart.
Lily-of-the-Valley
A popular plant that grows from a bulb in the spring. It blooms with little white bell-shaped flowers on a short stalk. Bright orange seeds appear in both summer and fall. Eating more than three berries can affect your child's heart rate.
Awareness and Prevention
Awareness and prevention are the best defenses against the accidental ingestion of poisonous berries and seeds. The Poison Control Center cannot identify plants, berries, or seeds over the telephone, so be prepared. Take a cutting (a six to eight inch piece that includes leaves, berries and flowers) from the shrub to a garden center, nursery or florist for identification. Write the scientific and common names of the shrub on a weather-proof tag and attach it to the plant. If there is an accidental ingestion, knowing the name of the plant will help avoid delays in treatment.
Check your children's play areas often for growing weeds and remove them before your children find them. Clean up fallen seeds or pods from nearby trees. Consider using artificial berries for indoor decorations; they are a alternative to live berries that may be poisonous.
If, in spite of your best efforts at prevention, your child eats unknown or poisonous berries or seeds, call your doctor or the poison control center.
Enjoy the flowers and green growing things that share your world, but exercise caution and common sense to prevent potential accidents.
Learn more about poisonous plants»
Quick Checklist
Toxic
- American Bittersweet
- Cotoneaster (in large amounts)
- Four O'clock
- Foxglove
- Holly
- Jack-in-the-Pulpit
- Juniper
- Lily-of-the-Valley
- Pokeweed
- Sweet Peas
- Yew
Non-toxic
- Dogwood Tree
- Honeysuckle
- Mistletoe
- Pyracantha
- Wild Strawberriesli>
General Dos and Don'ts
- Teach your children never to put leaves, stems, bark, seeds, nuts, or berries from any plant into their mouths.
- Keep poisonous house plants, bulbs and seeds out of reach of young children.
- Learn to identify the poisonous plants in your neighborhood.
- Do not assume a plant is not poisonous because birds or other wildlife eat it.
- Do not rely on cooking to destroy toxic chemicals in plants.
- Do not prepare home remedies from plants.
