Nerve Plant
Depending on who makes up your household, there may be more to choosing the right houseplants than style, taste and lighting conditions.
Some plants are toxic, so if you have small children, or pets in the home, you need to take precautions to protect their safety.
Now, before you throw all your potted plants into the compost heap, there are a couple of things to keep in mind.
First, the word toxic encompasses everything from a skin rash to an upset stomach, to more serious, even fatal reactions.
Second, in many cases, a large quantity of the plant must be ingested to produce a reaction.
Still, it makes sense to know what you’re growing, and whether it poses a danger. Following is a list of plants which are non-poisonous to humans:
| COMMON NAME | LATIN NAME |
| African Daisy | Dimorphotheca aurantiaca |
| African Violet | Saintpaulia ionantha |
| Aluminum Plant | Pilea spp. |
| Baby’s tears | Soleiria soleirolii |
| Bamboo, Golden | Phyllostachys aurea |
| Bird of Paradise | Strelitzia reginae |
| Bird’s Nest Fern | Asplenium nidus |
| Boston Fern | Nephrolepis exaltata |
| Camellia | Camellia sinensis |
| Cast Iron Plant | Aspidistra elatior |
| Christmas cactus | Schlumbergera bridgesii |
| Coleus | Coleus hybridus |
| Corn Plant | Draceana spp. |
| Donkey’s Tail | Sedum morganianum |
| Dracaena | Dracaena spp. |
| Echeveria | Echeveria spp. |
| Geraniums | Pelargonium spp. |
| Goldfish Plant | Columnea spp. |
| Impatiens | Impatiens wallerana |
| Jade Plant | Crassula argentea |
| Japanese Aralia | Fatsia japonica |
| Kalanchoe | Kalanchoe spp. |
| Lipstick Plant | Aeschynanthus spp |
| Maidenhair Fern | Adiantum spp. |
| Nerve Plant | Fittonia spp. |
| Norfolk Island Pine | Araucaria heterophylla |
| Peperomia | Peperomia spp. |
| Piggyback Plant | Tolmiea mensziesii |
| Poinsettia | Euphorbia pulcherrima |
| Prayer Plant | Maranta leuconeura |
| Purple Passion Plant | Gynura aurantiaca |
| Sensitive Plant | Mimosa puddica |
| Spider Plant | Chlorophytum comosum |
| Swedish Ivy | Plectranthus spp. |
| Wandering Jew | Tradescantia spp. |
| Wax Plant | Hoya carmosa |
| Zebra Plant | Aphelandra squarrosa |
A couple of other thoughts. If you have a plant that’s not on this list, don’t assume it’s poisonous. It’s just not on the list, so do some research to find out more. If you have a toxic plant, you may be able to move it out of harm’s way instead of getting rid of it entirely.
Use your houseplants as a teaching opportunity. Children should be taught never to put a part of a plant in their mouths. You have some control over your house, but you can’t child proof the great outdoors! So education, as well as barriers, is a good idea.
