Briarheart
Full Member
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Jul 22, 2014 9:29 am
Location: Southern Ontario, Zone 5

Oxalis "Red Shamrock" toxicity?

I know, I know, I'm an idiot and should have really thought of this and asked for advice from the gardening center before buying...

This is the exact plant I bought from the store, for my little fairy garden.

When I got home, suddenly I thought of the possibility of toxicity and googled it. I couldn't find any information about this precise variety, some things I found said that "Oxalis" is NOT toxic, but to my horror some other information I found stated that "red shamrock" can be poisonous to animals, which is very worrysome because I do have cats.

Though I did read that an animal would have to ingest a considerably large amount of it for it to be harmful, and that the leaves taste absolutely awful, so it's unlikely to happen. My cats aren't very adventurous plant eaters and are only really interested in grasses, but I still worry and wonder if it's worth the risk. I know my Mother will be very upset with me if I tell her.

Should I return it? :( I love it, because it's so cute and pretty, but I love my pets a lot more.



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