• Blog
  • Maryland Poison Center
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
eAntidote
Blog of the Maryland Poison Center
  • Blog
  • Maryland Poison Center
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
Home  /  Poison Safety  /  The Secrets of Succulents
26 October 2021

The Secrets of Succulents

Guest Staff Plants Leave a Comment
A collage of 4 photos of spurge succulents including the canary island spurge, pencil cactus, cathedral cactus, and malayan spurge tree

Many people enjoy gardening. It’s a fun hobby with endless options of plants to choose from! Succulents are popular garden additions. They are valued for their hardiness, meaning they thrive in different temperatures, levels of light, and time between watering. Let’s dive deeper into succulents, their relative the spurge family, and how to keep you and your family safe if you have them in your home garden.

Succulents

Succulents are plants that have thicker fleshy leaves or stems that store water. Oftentimes, when people think of succulents, they think of the cactus family. However, not all succulents are cacti. Succulents refer to a broad group of plants-including not just the beloved cactus, but also the popular aloe and jade plants, and many others. Succulents vary in where they like to store water. Some only store water in their stems, others store water in their leaves, and others store water in their base. Most succulent plants come from deserts or very dry areas.

Spurge Family

Despite their similarities, not all succulents are created equal. Some succulents may come from the spurge family. Spurges are a special group of plants that require a little extra care. Spurges include plants such as the pencil tree (also known as a pencil cactus, but it is not a true cactus), cathedral cactus (despite the name, it’s not a cactus), crown of thorns, and malayan spurge tree, among others.

Dangers of Spurges

Spurges can cause trouble because they contain toxic latex, a milky white liquid. The plant uses latex to heal its injuries or defend itself against insects. Latex is different from the common plant sap, which is carries nutrients to different parts of the plant. Latex is very irritating to the skin, eyes, and mouth. If it gets on the skin, it can cause redness, itching, swelling, and pain. If it gets into the eyes, it can cause pain, watery eyes, and changes in vision. If swallowed, it can cause pain to the mouth and throat, nausea, and vomiting. Swallowing pieces of the plant can be a choking hazard.

Exposure to the latex commonly occurs when gardeners are trimming or moving these plants. If you are going to be working with these plants, wear long sleeves, goggles, and gloves. Be sure to keep them out of reach of children and pets. People with latex allergies should also try to avoid these plants as they may be more likely to react to them.

First Aid

If someone comes into contact with latex, immediately flush any exposed skin or eyes with lukewarm (not hot) water for 15 minutes. If the latex is swallowed, rinse the mouth with water. These first aid steps are usually all that is needed for treatment. Sometimes exposures may require you to see a health care provider to receive more treatment. Always call the Maryland Poison Center (MPC) at 1-800-222-1222 after performing the above first aid steps. Do not wait for symptoms to call. Poison specialists are available 24/7 to help with exposures to spurges and other plants.

 

Amber Ferrell, PharmD

Certified Specialist in Poison Information

About Author

Guest Staff

From time to time, we’ll feature posts from one of our staff members. We have 14 Specialists in Poison Information (we call them “SPIs,” pronounced like “spy”) who are pharmacists or nurses that have more than 250 combined years of experience answering our phones, and who have all passed an additional certification exam that tests their knowledge of poisons of all kinds. We also have Toxicology Fellows who are completing a two-year fellowship in clinical toxicology to develop their knowledge and skills to prepare them for their future career. Before joining our team, they worked in pharmacies, clinics, or hospitals. It’s safe to say they’ve heard it all.

Previous Article National Drug Take Back Day
Next Article The 100th eAntidote Post

Related Posts

  • Young girl outside in the snow holding a pile of snow

    Will Kids Really Eat That? Part Three

  • Happy senior couple looking through window at home.

    Poison Help for Older Adults

  • Lighted background with present wrapped in blue bow with decorative pine and white berries

    A Wrapped Gift – Holiday Poison Safety

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Tags

About Us Adults Alcohol Antifreeze Button Batteries Cannabis Carbon Monoxide child-resistant packaging Children Cigarettes Cleaning Products E-cigarettes Food Poisoning Grandparents Hand Sanitizer Historic Poisonings Holiday Safety Home Laundry Pods Medicine Medicine Disposal Medicine Safety Nicotine Nurse Older Adults Over-the Counter Parents Personal Care Products Pharmacist Plants Poison Expert Poison Exposures Poison Myths Poison Safety Pre-Teens Safe Storage Seasonal Specialist in Poison Information Supplements Swimming Pools Teens Toxicology Fellowship Toy Safety Traveling Vaping

Join Our Mailing List!

Stay up to date on trending poison topics by subscribing to our monthly newsletter. Click here to subscribe.

Recent Posts

  • Cleaning products in and around a cleaning bucket
    Spring Cleaning April 24, 2025
  • Young girl outside in the snow holding a pile of snow
    Will Kids Really Eat That? Part Three February 28, 2025
  • Happy senior couple looking through window at home.
    Poison Help for Older Adults January 29, 2025
  • Lighted background with present wrapped in blue bow with decorative pine and white berries
    A Wrapped Gift – Holiday Poison Safety December 16, 2024

Social Media

Comment Policy

We welcome your comments. Please note that this is a moderated blog. All comments will be reviewed before they are posted, which will result in a delay in the posting of comments. Please leave comments that are respectful and useful. Malicious, anonymous, and promotional comments will not be posted. We reserve the right to remove comments from the site at any time.

For more information, please review the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy’s Social Media Code of Ethics. 

If you have any questions or concerns about this policy, please contact us.

Instagram

View on Instagram

Maryland Poison Center (@mdpoisoncenter) Instagram photos and videos

Recent Posts

  • Cleaning products in and around a cleaning bucket
    Spring Cleaning April 24, 2025
  • Young girl outside in the snow holding a pile of snow
    Will Kids Really Eat That? Part Three February 28, 2025
  • Happy senior couple looking through window at home.
    Poison Help for Older Adults January 29, 2025
  • Lighted background with present wrapped in blue bow with decorative pine and white berries
    A Wrapped Gift – Holiday Poison Safety December 16, 2024
© Copyright 2014 Maryland Poison Center. Theme by BloomPixel. | Privacy