Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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Monday - December 01, 2008
From: Fort Worth, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Poisonous Plants
Title: Is scarlet buckeye (Aesculus pavia) poisonous?
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
Is a scarlet buckeye poisonous? AnnaANSWER:
Yes, Aesculus pavia (red buckeye), is highly toxic. Eating the seeds or drinking tea made from leaves or sprouts can cause severe illness or even death. Cattle in a pasture with a red buckeye tree often eat the seeds and become ill or even die. The principal poison in them, aesculin, causes muscle weakness, paralysis, vomiting, diarrhea and, eventually, coma and death. You can read more about its toxicity in the Texas Toxic Plant Database and in the Poisonous Plants of North Carolina database. You can learn more about poisonous plants in Texas in C. R. Hart's Toxic Plants of Texas.
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