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Tuesday - May 12, 2009
From: Round Rock, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Poisonous Plants
Title: Is Penstemon cobaea poisonous
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
Is Penstemon cobaea Nutt or Wild foxglove poisonous like real fox glove? It is on a playground and Im concerned that it may not be safe for children.ANSWER:
Penstemon cobaea (wild foxglove) does NOT appear in any of our favorite toxic plant databases:Poisonous Plants of North Carolina
Cornell University Plants Poisonous to Livestock
Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System
University of Pennsylvania Poisonous Plants
University of California-Davis Toxic Plants
So, despite the fact that it shares the same common name as the non-native Digitalis purpurea, Foxglove (which is highly toxic), Penstemon cobaea (wild foxglove) is NOT poisonous and should be perfectly safe to have in a playground.
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