TB: Toxic TBs redux

While in Raleigh, NC, two weeks ago, I visited the North Carolina 
Botanical Garden, which has wonderful displays of native plants, 
particularly a sandhills habitat garden.  They also have a planting 
of "poisonous" plants.

There I was dismayed to find a large patch of several older varieties 
of TB hybrids with the following label:

"Iris germanica: All parts, especially the rhizomes, of this native 
plant are poisonous, though rarely fatal, to humans.  However, in 
livestock fatalities are common.  The digestive system is attacked."

Aside from the misconception of hybrid TBs as "Iris germanica," and 
the more important error of calling them "native" plants, there is no 
evidence that any bearded iris is poisonous.  In fact, rhizomes of 
Florentina, a form of "germanica" were dried, cut into pieces, and 
used to sooth teething babies in several European countries, as well 
as being chewed by adults as a breath sweetener.

I suspect the confusion here is with Iris pseudacorus, which does 
contain a powerful emetic, according to herbalists.  This would fit 
in with the idea of the digestive system being attacked.  Like 
"germanica", I. pseudacorus is not native, but widely naturalized in 
the US (some beautiful big clumps are now in full bloom around the 
college lake here).
-- 

Bill Shear
Department of Biology
Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden-Sydney VA 23943
(804)223-6172
FAX (804)223-6374
email<wshear@email.hsc.edu>
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--Henry David Thoreau, Journals, March 28, 1853 (The Memoirs of 
Thomas Chalmers, a Scottish theologian, published in four volumes, 
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