Zamioculcas is a very resilient house plant that can take a lot of abuse. But is it poisonous?

Until the end of the 20th century, zamioculcas (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) was grown mainly by tropical plant enthusiasts. It comes from tropical Africa and it took almost 150 years to spread all over the world. Today it is a popular plant among many houseplant lovers.

And no wonder. It is easy to take care of, mainly because it can cope very well with a lack of light or moisture and that makes it a perfect plant for ”weekend” gardeners who do not want to spend much time in their gardens . However, anyone who decides to grow this plant must know that it is poisonous, so can it be safely grown at home?

How dangerous is zamioculcas?

Fortunately, growing this houseplant at home, in offices and in public places is safe and it cannot harm people, as it is not a very poisonous plant . If you touch it or inhale the substances it secretes (like all plants), you will not get any allergic reaction or suffer any poisoning symptoms.

Photo: Pixabay

A different situation is when you handle the plant because zamioculcas contains a liquid that causes skin irritation and if the liquid gets on a mucous membrane or in your eyes you may experience unplesant symptoms. Use gloves when handling or transplanting.

Sings of poisoning

Good news is that zamioculcas poses almost no danger to adults, but children or pets are much more vulnerable, especially if they accidentally consume leaves or parts of the plant. In this case, they may experience redness, irritation and itching of the skin, fever and larynx or tongue swelling, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting as well as other signs of digestive system irritation. If you experience signs of poisoning, call the emergency service immediately.

Preview photo: Pixabay

Source: https://www.idnes.cz/hobby/domov/jedovate-pokojove-rostliny.A120417_230437_hobby-domov_mce