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.
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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.
This is an excerpt from the poison control center at the
Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia
Stevie Haile Stayin' Healthy
www.BerryH2O.com
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