Quiz on Risks of Yule Plants

More than simple tradition may lurk in Christmas decorations. To make the point, the poison information center of the Los Angeles County Medical Assn. has devised a simple matching quiz to underscore the possible risks of several common holiday decorative plants. The explanations were written by Dr. Margaret McCarron, medical director of the poison center.

Match the lettered name of a common Christmas-season plant with the numbered explanatory paragraph. The correct combinations appear below.

A. MISTLETOE ( Phoradendron flavescens )

B. POINSETTIA ( Euphorbia pulcherrima )

C. JERUSALEM CHERRY ( Solanum pseudo-capsicum )

D. ORNAMENTAL PEPPERS ( Capsicum annum )

E. HOLLY ( Ilex opaca )

F. CHRISTMAS ROSE ( Helleborus niger )

1. These small white, yellow, orange or deep-red fruit appear in December and provide a showy holiday display. Responsible for “Hunan Hand,” described in a man who developed severe pain in his abraded fingers after using the dried fruit to prepare a Hunan-style Chinese dinner.

2. Grows on oak trees in the Los Angeles area. Ingestion of large quantities of the white berries causes gastroenteritis. Cardiac toxicity has been reported after ingestion of berries from the European variety of this plant.

3. A spine-tipped toothed evergreen shrub with stiff glossy leaves and red berries. Violent vomiting and diarrhea and stupor can occur after ingestion of large quantities of the berries.

4. Called the “Flower of Christmas” but the red or white color is from the large modified leaves or bracts that surround the flowers. The sap may cause contact dermatitis. Older varieties or outdoor plans may be toxic if ingested but commercial plants do not contain the same toxic terpenes.

5. Cultivated in gardens for its mid-winter bloom. The flowers are white or pinkish-green and turn purple. The roots contain an alkaloid that produces gastroenteritis and neurotoxity, ingestion of large amounts can be fatal.

6. Indoor perennial sold in full fruit in late December. The bright red round fruit occur along the erect stems. Ingestion of the fruit can cause severe gastroenteritis. Apparently, the intoxication can be serious but few case reports are available.

Answers: 1-D, 2-A, 3-E, 4-B, 5-F, 6-C.