Frequently (and not so frequently) Asked Questions
BRIEF: Are any of the following plants poisonous to children, horses or dogs?
QUESTION:
I am trying to determine if the following, any parts, are toxic to young children,
horses, or dogs...
Ipomoea Quamoclit (Quamoclit pennata) or Cypress Vine, Hearts & Honey
Dolichos Lablab or Purple Hyacinth Bean
Ipomoea Alba (Calonyction alculeatum) or Frangrant Moonflower Vine
Ipomoea nil Scarlett O'Hara (I.Imperialis) or Morning Glory, Scarlett
O'Hara
Also, are there any other toxic plants/flowers site you know of?
ANSWER:
Many of the Ipomea species (including most of those you listed) contain lysergic
acid and a lot of related compounds in the seeds, less in the flowers, and I am
not sure about the foliage. Hallucinations, diarrhea, and hypotension are the
principle signs of poisoning. I am not sure how one would determine if a horse
were tripping out on Moonflower seeds, but maybe you have a very good vet that
could talk one down for you. :) Actually, since this toxin/drug is found mostly
in the seed and horses tend to be rather large, I doubt one would ever ingest a
sufficient dose.
The only other Impomea-realted toxicity I am aware of is a respiratory toxin
that is produced in moldy sweet potatoe tubers.
It must be a much warmer climate down there on Long Island. Last time I grew
lablab in any significant acreage was on a farm in Kenya!!! Cattle occasionally
bloat on a diet of fresh lablab forage, but our Small East African
(that's a breed) goats did not have much trouble with it. They did not eat a
lot of it, though. I am not sure of its effects on horses.