Explore Plants

Share

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants
    
 

Can't find the answer in our existing FAQs, submit a question to Mr. Smarty Plants.
Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

rate this answer
Not Yet Rated

Wednesday - May 27, 2009

From: Olathe, KS
Region: Midwest
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Are non-natives, Dappled willow and Kousa dogwood, toxic to horses?
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Are dappled willow trees/bushes or kousa dogwood trees toxic to horses?

ANSWER:

First of all, our focus and expertise here at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center are with plants native to North America.  Neither Salix integra 'Hakuro-Nishiki' (Dappled willow) nor  Cornus kousa (Kousa dogwood) are North American natives; both are Asian natives.  Nevertheless, Mr. Smarty Plants can guide you to several toxic plant databases—some specific for horses and some general—that you can use to find out if your plants are toxic to horses. A quick search in the four last databases on the list below (the general ones) did not show either of the species above, nor were there any entries at all under the two genera (Salix or Cornus).  You should search through the horse toxic plant databases for both plants and keep these databases in mind when you have questions about other plants.

10 Most Poisonous Plants for Horses from EquiSearch.com

Poisonous Plants from Trailblazer Magazine

Toxic Plants: Horses from the ASPCA

Horse Nutrition: Poisonous Plants from Ohio State University

Poisonous Plants of North Carolina

Cornell University Plants Poisonous to Livestock

Texas Toxic Plant Database

University of Pennsylvania Poisonous Plants

 

More Non-Natives Questions

Powdery growth in hydrangea in Philadelphia
June 20, 2010 - My hydrangea plants have a weird growth on their leaves that looks like white rice. It looks like it would be powdery if brushed, but I don't want to touch it for fear that it some type of mold. Any...
view the full question and answer

Another plant with ice plant as the common name from Corpus Christi
June 17, 2010 - This is not a question, but your "ice plant" answer to El Cajon did not consider Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, which I believe is the common roadside succulent that ate California. God have mercy ...
view the full question and answer

Problems with non-native St. Augustine grass in Spring TX
July 09, 2009 - St. Augustine. It's July 6th, 3 weeks ago my grass was green and healthy, today I've got large patches (20' x 3') that are dying. I water my yard 10 mins / day in the morning (5:00 am). It's been...
view the full question and answer

Non-native begonias not blooming in Round Rock, TX
October 13, 2010 - My angel wing begonias won't bloom. I feed them with fish emulsion. What is the problem?
view the full question and answer

Non-native, invasive bamboo for sloped river bank in Texas?
April 01, 2010 - What type of native plants/trees/shrubs/grasses would you recommend planting on a 20 ft sloped bank on the Colorado river in Texas to prevent further erosion of the bank? How do you feel about bamboo?...
view the full question and answer

Smarty Plants's Facebook profile Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.

Mr. Smarty Plants wants you to be his Facebook friend. Click the Facebook icon to add yourself to Mr. Smarty Plants list of friends.