第1733期:Watch Young Children around These Houseplants

Indoor plants are a beautiful way to brighten up your home, especially in the gray months of winter. But there can be a dark side to houseplants if you have children or if children visit your home. It is important that you know which plants are toxic to young, curious humans.↳ Gardening expert Jessica Damiano recently wrote about the issue for The Associated Press. She said she often points out houseplants in friends’ homes that should be kept out of children’s mouths. “I don’t mind dashing friends’ hopes of an Instagram-worthy indoor jungle if it means…preventing harm,” Damiano wrote.

室内植物是照亮您家的美丽方式，尤其是在灰蒙蒙的冬天。但是，如果您有孩子或孩子来您家，盆栽植物可能会有阴暗面。了解哪些植物对好奇的年轻人有毒很重要。↳ 园艺专家杰西卡·达米亚诺 (Jessica Damiano) 最近为美联社撰写了有关该问题的文章。她说她经常指出朋友家里的室内植物应该远离孩子的嘴。达米亚诺写道：“如果这意味着……防止伤害，我不介意打破朋友们对 Instagram 价值室内丛林的希望。”

Kaitlyn Brown works at America’s Poison Centers in Arlington, Virginia. She told the AP, “We get an average of 33,000 calls a year from people whose kids put different plants in their mouths.” She added that the cases usually involve children under 3, “because they explore their environment," she said, "and they put everything in their mouths.”↳ Most accidental exposures are not serious, Brown said. But in some cases a child’s breathing, skin and eyes can be badly harmed.

凯特琳·布朗 (Kaitlyn Brown) 在弗吉尼亚州阿灵顿的美国毒物中心工作。她告诉美联社，“我们平均每年接到 33,000 个电话，这些电话来自那些孩子把不同植物放进嘴里的人。”她补充说，这些病例通常涉及 3 岁以下的儿童，“因为他们探索他们的环境，”她说，“他们把所有东西都放在嘴里。”↳ 大多数意外接触并不严重，布朗说。但在某些情况下，孩子的呼吸、皮肤和眼睛可能会受到严重伤害。

Damiano wrote that she recently visited her cousin’s home and saw a Dieffenbachia plant in the kitchen. Her cousin told her that her young son, who had just begun crawling, had shown interest in the leaves. Damiano had to explain to her cousin that eating a small amount of the plant’s stem can cause temporary but severe pain. The plant parts can cause throat and mouth swelling. The plant’s sap can cause nose, skin and eye pain. Other plants that can cause similar reactions include: Caladium, flamingo flower, Swiss cheese plant, peace lily, ZZ plant, philodendron and pothos.

达米亚诺写道，她最近拜访了她堂兄的家，在厨房里看到了一株万年青。她的堂兄告诉她，她刚开始爬行的小儿子对树叶表现出了兴趣。达米亚诺不得不向她的表妹解释说，食用少量这种植物的茎会导致暂时但剧烈的疼痛。植物部分会导致喉咙和口腔肿胀。这种植物的汁液会导致鼻子、皮肤和眼睛疼痛。其他可引起类似反应的植物包括：贝母、火烈鸟花、瑞士奶酪植物、和平百合、ZZ 植物、蔓绿绒和绿萝。

Amaryllis and its relatives including clivia and daffodil, contain lycorine, a toxic substance that can cause a range of stomach issues. Damiano wrote that parents should teach their young children not to put non-food plant parts into their mouths. Parents should also educate themselves, she said. She urges parents to research whether the plants in their homes are safe to grow around children. She also suggests learning the official botanical names of any houseplants so that they are able to provide that information quickly to a poison control expert, if needed.

孤挺花及其近亲，包括君子兰和水仙花，都含有石蒜碱，这是一种可引起一系列胃病的有毒物质。达米亚诺写道，父母应该教导年幼的孩子不要将非食用植物部分放入口中。她说，父母也应该自我教育。她敦促父母研究他们家中的植物在儿童周围生长是否安全。她还建议了解任何室内植物的官方植物学名称，以便他们能够在需要时迅速向毒物控制专家提供该信息。

Not all houseplants are problematic, of course. Spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) are nontoxic and are also among the easiest indoor plants to grow. African violets, Boston ferns, Christmas cactus, waxplants, parlor palms, radiator plants, prayer plants and baby’s tears are other safe choices.

当然，并非所有的室内植物都有问题。吊兰（Chlorophytum comosum）无毒，也是最容易种植的室内植物之一。非洲紫罗兰、波士顿蕨类植物、圣诞仙人掌、蜡科植物、客厅棕榈、散热器植物、祈祷植物和婴儿的眼泪是其他安全的选择。