Succulents promise easy-care decoration for the windowsill, balcony and garden. When choosing plants, parents with small children and owners of pets should also pay attention to the potential poisonous danger that ornamental plants can pose. Find out here whether succulents are suitable for adding greenery to your family home.
Are succulents poisonous to households and animals?
Succulents vary in their toxicity: thick-leaf plants are non-toxic to slightly poisonous, ice plant plants are slightly poisonous, amaryllis plants and arum plants are poisonous to highly poisonous and spurge plants are poisonous to highly poisonous. Cacti, on the other hand, are non-toxic, but can cause injuries.
Highly toxic to non-toxic – brief overview of the toxic content
Since a large number of decorative plant families are classified as succulents, this type of plant cannot generally be defined as poisonous or non-toxic. The following brief overview provides information about some of the most famous succulents:
- Thickleaf plants (Crassulaceae), such as money tree, sedum or Kalanchoe: non-toxic to slightly poisonous
- Aizoaceae, like living stones: slightly toxic in large quantities
- Amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae), like knight's star: highly poisonous
- Spurge family (Euphorbia), like poinsettia: poisonous to highly poisonous
- Arum family (Araceae), like lucky feather: poisonous to highly poisonous
Cacti are entirely non-toxic. However, the long, sharp thorns can cause skin injuries, which if left untreated can develop into dangerous infections.
