Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

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.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Share

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.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
6 ratings

Sunday - March 20, 2011

From: Spring, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Is non-native Viburnum suspensum (sandankwa) poisonous to dogs?
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Are Viburnum suspensum leaves or berries (Sandankwa) poisonous to dogs?

ANSWER:

Viburnum suspensum (viburnum) is a non-native shrub that was introduced to North America from Okinawa and other islands of the Japanese Ryuku Islands.  I found one commercial nursery website, easyBloom.com, that had this to say about Viburnum suspensum:  "The fruits are toxic and can cause stomach discomfort upon consumption."  The Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System lists another viburnum, Viburnum opulus, that is considered mildly toxic.  However, the following toxic databases do not list any viburnums at all.

Cornell University Plants Poisonous to Livestock

University of Pennsylvania Poisonous Plants

Toxic Plants of Texas

Poisonous Plants and Mushrooms of North Carolina

The ASPCA's Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List – Dogs under "Plants Non-Toxic to Dogs" lists blackhaw or sweet viburnum (Viburnum lentago) as being safe, no viburnum species are listed under "Plants Toxic to Dogs".

So, the berries may or may not be mildly toxic to your dog, but there aren't any reports of leaves being a problem. Addtionally, there doesn't seem to be any indication that the berries could be deadly. Perhaps your best bet, if you want to keep the shrub in the yard with your dog, is to cut off the fruit clusters and dispose of them as soon as they form after the tree has bloomed.

Alternatively, perhaps you could consider replacing the sandankwa viburnum with one of the viburnums that are native to Texas.  There are 6 species of native Texas viburnums and none of them are on any toxic plant list that I could find. The Texas viburnums are:  Viburnum acerifolium (Mapleleaf viburnum), Viburnum dentatum (Southern arrowwood), Viburnum nudum (Possumhaw viburnum), Viburnum prunifolium (Blackhaw), Viburnum rafinesquianum (Downy arrowwood) and Viburnum rufidulum (Rusty blackhaw viburnum).

 

More Non-Natives Questions

Problems with non-native Cleyera and Red-tip photinia
June 01, 2008 - I planted a row of Cleyera in a bed that receives sunlight for about 3 hours during the middle of the day. My problem is that a number of the plants are dying. It begins with the leaves on one small...
view the full question and answer

Want to Grow Herbs in Pots on Balcony
November 26, 2011 - Nov. 20, 2011 I live in a large apartment with a front balcony. I was wondering what would grow well in pots and fresh herb this time of the year? And will lavendar work for a hanging plant as well...
view the full question and answer

Nativity of Salvia coccinea (scarlet sage)
September 14, 2011 - Is Salvia coccinea native to Florida? In wikipedia they say it is native to Mexico.
view the full question and answer

Problems with non-native Indian hawthorn
April 18, 2009 - We have some Indian Hawthorns that were planted for us by a landscape company. The first year we got a little bit of bloom. Since then the shrubs don't bloom at all. They are in a flower bed up aga...
view the full question and answer

Fungus on trunk of non-native weeping willow in California
August 21, 2008 - I live in Palo Cedro, CA and have a weeping willow tree with with what appears to be be some type of fungus growing all over the trunk of the tree. It is a brown color and can be broken off in big ch...
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.