What are poisonous plants?
Any type of plant may be poisonous: house plants, garden plants, woody plants or trees. A plant is “poisonous” if it contains a substance that causes chemical injury to something (human or some other animal) that ingests (eats, swallows, licks) or touches the plant. Occasionally, breathing in the scent of the plant or its burned parts can be toxic or irritating. We see this in Minnesota, where burning poison ivy releases the irritant oil, urushiol, into the smoke, causing internal problems for anyone who breathes the smoke.
