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Letter: Poison Ivy not the only noxious weed to avoid

In North Bay about 15 yrs ago I decided to bring some pretty yellow flowered plants into our cottage garden that were growing nearby in the bush
2022 poison ivy
Poison Ivy

To the editor:

Thanks for the reminder about poison ivy.

See: Poison ivy spreading, more toxic, warns Back Roads Bill

In North Bay about 15 yrs ago I decided to bring some pretty yellow flowered plants into our cottage garden that were growing nearby in "the bush."

They grew well and looked nice. Come Fall and weeding I broke some of the stems and a white liquid came out onto my un-gloved hands.

I went into the house, washed my hands, put my eye drops in, and made supper. The next morning both eyes' lids were red and very painful with blister like swelling also across nose.

I thought blackfly bites, but no, the plant was of the SPURGE family and the white in the stems is a very very strong latex, as I discovered with Internet check.

My doctor. just suggested antihistamines but it was very painful for a long time and fortunately did not actually go into my eyes.

It is even difficult to remove from a garden and there are close Spurge relatives that are also toxic. I was surprised to see it for sale at a plant nursery and also on the internet, and Facebook marketplace. I would suggest before buying any plant in this and other families of plants to check internet for possible reactions.

 A check under Ontario noxious plants or Ontario noxious weeds is quite informative, and even horses and cows can get sick, if eating them growing in a field.

Read about the Weeds Act - Frequently Asked Questions here.

June Smith

North Bay