Native Plants
![](../_images/smarty_plants.gif)
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.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
![](../_images/mr_smarty_plants_logo_web_200w.jpg)
rate this answer
![](../_images/star_30.gif)
Wednesday - June 13, 2012
From: Devon, PA
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Poisonous Plants
Title: Is Asclepias incarnata poisonous to dogs?
Answered by: Anne Ruggles
QUESTION:
Is Asclepias incarnata safe in a farm/yard with plenty of dogs running around? What happens if a dog eats the leaves or seeds or pods? Is eating any of these fatal to dogs?ANSWER:
Butterfly weed, milkweed, chigger-plant these are all common names for the plants of the genus Aesclepias which includes A. incarnata which you ask about. In short, yes, the genus is poisonous. All parts of the plant are poisonous.
According to many sources including North Carolina State University, the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, the ASPCA, and the Wildflower Center, all parts of the plant are poisonous in “large quantities.” It appears that livestock are most likely to ingest the plant.
Clinical signs of poisoning include profuse salivation, incoordination, and violent seizures. Early signs of poisoning are followed by bradycardia or tachycardia, arrhythmias, hypotension and hypothermia. Death may occur from 1-3 days after ingestion.
However, the plants are premier food sources for butterflies, especially for Monarch butterflies. In the mid 1800s, naturalists observed that birds avoided eating butterflies whose larvae fed primarily on milkweed. It was later shown that the feeding larvae accumulated emetic cardiac glycosides that were retained and even concentrated in adult butterflies. Birds that ate the butterflies containing these glycosides vomited shortly after feeding and learned to avoid butterflies having the pattern typical of Monarch butterflies. Viceroy butterflies have evolved the ability to mimic the monarch’s appearance thus avoiding predation by birds who mistake the mimic for the distasteful monarch.
From the Image Gallery
More Poisonous Plants Questions
Is Bushy Knotweed carcinogenic from West Grove PA
September 06, 2012 - Is the invasive Bushy Knotweed / PORA3 / Polygonum ramosissimum toxic to the extent that the spores are carcinogenic?
view the full question and answer
Will blue eyed grass grow under black walnut trees?
January 18, 2016 - Will blue eyed grass grow under black walnut trees? I know the Siberian Iris is tolerant but the scientific names are not the same yet everything I read indicates that blue eyed grass is not in the g...
view the full question and answer
Is Lemon Cypress toxic?
August 15, 2012 - Is the Lemon Cypress toxic?
view the full question and answer
Plants in wheelbarrow dying in Jacksonville, FL
June 22, 2011 - I planted a wheelbarrow with daisies, petunias and black and blue salvia. the salvia is thriving, but the others died. Is the salvia toxic to them?
view the full question and answer
Non-toxic trees for cattle, horses and swine in Washington state.
December 04, 2015 - What non-toxic trees can be planted in cattle pastures in Central Washington? We also have horses and swine on the property.
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |