Horticultural Trades Association

CODE OF RECOMMENDED RETAIL PRACTICE RELATING TO THE LABELLING AND DISPLAY OF POTENTIALLY HARMFUL PLANTS 

2000 Review & Update

Introduction

The British public is fortunate in having access to a wealth of plant species. Most of these are harmless. However, there is a level of public concern regarding the potential harm from some plants in the house and garden. This voluntary Code has been produced to address that concern. It sets out guidelines for the retailing of plants (including bulbs and seeds) which will ensure that the public is informed of potentially harmful plants at the point of purchase.

The information upon which the Code is based indicates that even where plants are known to be potentially harmful, the risk is sufficiently small and the plants are of sufficient ornamental value to merit continued sale to the public, albeit with a warning label. Only one taxon is so toxic that the Code recommends controlling sale to the general public.

Plants pose a risk in mature gardens, parks and in the wild. Therefore the Code, while necessarily concentrating upon plant labelling at the point of sale, recognises the broader issue of informing and educating the public.

2000 Edition

In 1998 work began on a review of the code, and was completed in February 2000. A much larger group of plants was researched during this review and as a result 52 additional Plant groups have been added to the code, whilst 6 others have been removed. In addition a number of plant groups have either been re-categorised or have been given amended wording. Planted bulbs are no longer excluded from the code. The HTA would like to thank the many individuals and organisations who took part in the consultation process and in particular the National Poisons Unit, and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew who undertook the review.

The Criteria For Listing Plants

Using the Report as a basis, plants were assessed for their degree of hazard and the risk they pose in the house and garden. Anticipated abuse by children through eating parts of the plant, and mistaken identification by adults leading to their eating parts of the plant were also considered.

It was considered necessary to label plants which fullfil the following five conditions:

1.  the Report identifies a significant hazard
2.  toxic parts of the plant are produced or are available in the U.K.
3.  the medical symptoms are serious
4.  cases are widespread and not uncommon (i.e. exceptional allergies are not included)
5.  they pose a threat to human health (as opposed to livestock or pets only)

CATEGORY A

The sale of these plants should be restricted and sales to the public discouraged. Display in retail areas should be supervised so that children do not have access. Individual plants should be labelled and customers should be informed of the potentially harmful nature of the plants by sales staff.

CATEGORY B

These plants require a warning on the plant label and on any bed label or any other point of sale material. The required warning text is indicated.

CATEGORY C

These plants require a warning on the plant label. The required warning text is Indicated.

Acalypha

Skin & eye irritant/harmful if eaten

Acokanthera

Harmful if eaten

Actaea section Actaea

Harmful if eaten/skin irritant

Adenium

Harmful if eaten

Aesculus

Harmful if eaten

Aglaonema

Harmful if eaten/skin & eye irritant

Agrostemma githago

Harmful if eaten

Allamanda

Harmful if eaten/skin & eye irritant

Alocasia

Harmful if eaten/skin & eye irritant

Aloe

Harmful if eaten

Alstromeria

May cause skin allergy

Amaryllis belladonna

Harmful if eaten

Anthurium

Harmful if eaten/skin & eye irritant

Apocynum

Harmful if eaten

Arisaema

Harmful if eaten/skin & eye irritant

Asparagus except A.officinalis

May cause skin allergy/fruits harmful if eaten

Brunfelsia

Harmful if eaten

Caladium

Harmful if eaten/skin & eye irritant

Calla palustris

Harmful if eaten/skin & eye irritant

Capsicum annum (ornamental cultivars)

Skin & eye irritant/harmful if eaten

Chelidonium majus

Harmful if eaten/skin & eye irritant

Chrysanthemum

May cause skin allergy

Colocasia esculenta

Harmful if eaten/skin & eye irritant

Cupressocyparis leylandii

May cause skin allergy

Delphinium

Harmful if eaten

Dictamnus albus

Skin irritant with sunlight

Dracunculus

Harmful if eaten/skin & eye irritant

Echium

Skin irritant

Epipremnum

Harmful if eaten/skin & eye irritant

Euonymus

Harmful if eaten

Ficus benjamina

May cause skin allergy

Ficus carica

Skin irritant with sunlight

Fremontodendron

Skin & eye irritant

Gaultheria section Pernettya

Harmful if eaten

Gelsemium

Harmful if eaten

Hedera

Harmful if eaten/may cause skin allergy

Helleborus

Harmful if eaten/skin irritant

Hippeastrum

Harmful if eaten

Homeria

Harmful if eaten

Hyacinthoides

Harmful if eaten

Hyacinthus

Harmful if eaten/skin irritant

Hypericum perforatum

Harmful if eaten

Ipomoea

Harmful if eaten

Iris

Harmful if eaten

Kalmia

Harmful if eaten

Lagenaria

Harmful if eaten

Ligustrum

Harmful if eaten

Lobelia

(except L.erinus)

Harmful If eaten

XXXX

Lupinus

Harmful if eaten

Lysichiton

Harmful if eaten/skin & eye irritant

Mirabilis

Harmful if eaten/skin irritant

Monstera deliciosa

Harmful if eaten/skin & eye irritant

Narcissus

Harmful if eaten/skin irritant

Nicotiana

Harmful if eaten

Opuntia microdasys

Skin irritant

Ornithogalum

Harmful if eaten

Papaver somniferum

Harmful if eaten

Passiflora caerulea

Harmful if eaten

Pedilanthus

Skin & eye irritant/ harmful if eaten

Philodendron

Harmful if eaten/skin & eye irritant

Podophyllum

Harmful if eaten

Polygonatum

Harmful if eaten

Polyscias

Harmful if eaten/skin irritant

Prunus laurocerasus & lusitanica

Seed kernels harmful if eaten

XXXX

Rhamnus

Harmful if eaten

Rhaphidophora

Harmful if eaten/skin & eye irritant

Robinia psuedoacacia

Harmful if eaten

Sambucus (except S nigra)

Harmful if eaten

Schefflera

May cause skin allergy

Scilla

Harmful if eaten

Solanum (cultivated ornamental

Harmful if eaten

species except S.dulcamara)

Solanum pseudocapsicum

Harmful if eaten

Spartium junceum

Harmful if eaten

Spathiphyllum

Harmful if eaten/skin & eye irritant

Symphoricarpos

Harmful if eaten

Symphytum

Harmful if eaten

Syngonium

Harmful if eaten/skin & eye irritant

Tabernaemontana

Harmful if eaten

Tulipa

Harmful if eaten/may cause skin allergy

XXXX

Vitex

Skin irritant

Wisteria

Harmful if eaten

Xanthosoma

Harmful if eaten/skin & eye irritant

Zantedeschia

Harmful if eaten/skin & eye irritant

Potentially Harmful Plants Information Sheet

The Meaning of the Warning Texts

The texts contain a number of set phrases. These are interpreted below.

CAUTION
This warning is given for the plants with a relatively high hazard rating. Where bed labels or other promotional material is used, the warning text should appear on the bed label or other promotional material as well as on the label.

Toxic if eaten
These plants are poisonous. Even quite small quantities can be harmful. Often the whole plant is poisonous, although it is usually berries or seeds which are eaten. Children are most at risk from accidental poisoning, especially the under five age group, who may find berries and other plant parts attractive to eat. However, a remarkable number of adults also are poisoned through mistakenly identifying the plant as something edible. Daffodil bulbs are often mistaken for onions.

Houseplants which are toxic are not recommended for households with children under five. If part of such a plant is eaten, immediate medical advice should be sought.

Harmful if eaten
These plants contain poison but pose less risk. If part of such a plant is eaten, it is advisable to seek medical advice.

Skin irritant
These plants may cause skin reactions on handling. Symptoms often include dermatitis-type reactions, local inflammation, itching and blistering. Sometimes this is only temporary and of no lasting importance, such as the well-known ‘hyacinth itch’, but in some cases reactions can be very severe. Skin irritation from daffodils and tulips is usually associated with extensive handling of the cut flowers.

Skin irritation, if severe or persistent, should be referred to a doctor or casualty unit.

Eye irritant
Eye irritation is caused by sap getting into the eye, by splash, or through wiping the eye with a contaminated finger. However, in the case of Fremontodendron the irritation is caused by minute hairs brushed off the plant surface.

May cause skin allergy (skin allergen)
Skin allergies affect only certain people. Repeated exposure to a plant may cause a skin allergy to develop. Once a person becomes allergic to a substance, they usually remain sensitive to it. The substance causing the allergy may be found in several plant groups. The person may then become sensitive to all the plants simultaneously.

For example, people who are allergic to sticking plasters are often allergic to a wide range of conifers. This is because the allergy is caused by an ingredient of the pine resin used in the manufacture of the adhesive used in sticking plasters. That substance naturally occurs not only in pines, but many other conifers.

People allergic to sticking plasters react to a Cupressocyparis leylandii. The resulting
dermatitis can be serious. It is usually caused when carrying out severe pruning, which is
often required because of the tree’s rapid growth. Other conifers may give the same reaction, but pose less risk because they less often require such drastic pruning.

The irritation from alstroemeria and chrysanthemums is usually associated with extensive handling of the cut flowers. Chrysanthemums can cause irritation to the skin of amateur chrysanthemum enthusiasts.

Severely toxic to skin with sunlight
A small number of plants have sap which renders the skin excessively sensitive to strong sunlight. Contact with the plant followed by exposure to sunlight results in very severe localised sunburn with blistering and may cause long-lasting skin discolouration.

Harmful via skin
The toxins in such plants do not cause skin problems but can pass though the skin to organs such as the heart where they can cause disorders.

1.  If seeking medical attention because of suspected poisoning or severe skin reaction, always take the name of the plant with you (the label if possible), or if you don’t know the name, take an identifiable piece of plant. Do not try to make the patient vomit.

2.  Avoid handling plants labelled "skin irritant" or "may cause skin allergy". Skin reaction is usually caused by intentional handling of the plant; when trimming or pruning, for example. It is wise to wear gloves for these jobs. Wash hands after handling plants and before eating.

3.  Children should be taught not to eat any seeds, berries or other parts of ornamental plants.

4.  Very young children need supervision.

5.  Where there are young children in the garden, the risk can be considerably reduced by planting potentially harmful plants away from the edges of borders, and planning the garden so that fruit and vegetable plants are segregated from ornamental plants.

X CUPRESSOCYPARIS LEYLANDII
Dermatitis is most likely to be caused when drastic pruning is carried out. If kept under control, severe pruning, sawing and burning will not be necessary. The risk is thereby reduced. Note that even the smoke from burning branches can induce the allergic reaction.

DIEFFENBACHIA
Not suitable for households where there are children under five years old.

FREMONTODENDRON
Irritation to skin and eye is caused by minute hairs brushed from the surface. Do not plant where people will brush past.

LIGUSTRUM
It is usually the berries that are eaten. A neatly trimmed hedge rarely produces berries.

PRIMULA OBCONICA
If skin irritation is experienced, wear gloves to remove dead flower heads. Some sensitive people cannot be in the same room as the plant. In this case the plant should be removed from the house.

RUTA
Avoid handling in bright sunlight. Wash hands after handling.