House plant ID please

Hi,
We were at wilkinsons yesterday and bought another indoor plant for my granddaughters collection but it is labelled as indoor flowering plant with no other identification.
The leaves are rubbery/waxy
Can anyone help me identify it please.

 

Hi Thanks for that wiseowl, it is indeed but have just discovered it is poisonous so will have to take it out of my granddaughters collection!

Level of toxicity: Generally moderate to severe
Common signs to watch for:

• Drooling
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Abnormal heart rate
• Cardiac arrhythmias
• Weakness
• Collapse
• Dilated pupils
• Tremors
• Seizures
• Death

Kalanchoe is a common, beautiful houseplant with hundreds of flowers (which range from yellow, red, pink, etc.). This plant is also known as the Devil’s Backbone, Mother of Millions, and the Chandelier plant. This plant is in a group of several plants that contain naturally-occurring poisons that affect the heart, specifically cardenolides or bufadienolides. These poisons are called cardiac glycoside toxins, and they interfere directly with electrolyte balance within the heart muscle.

The toxins within these plants are similar to digitalis or digoxin, a common heart medication used in both human and veterinary medicine. The level of poisoning varies with the particular plant, part of the plant, and amount consumed. All parts of the plant are generally considered toxic – even the water in the vase has been reported to cause toxicosis. Clinical signs from ingestion include cardiovascular signs (e.g., abnormal heart rhythm and rate), electrolyte abnormalities (e.g., a life-threatening high potassium level), gastrointestinal signs (e.g., nausea, drooling, vomiting, etc.), or central nervous system signs (e.g., dilated pupils, tremors, seizures). In severe cases, an expensive antidote, digoxin-specific Fab fragments, can be used for severe, life-threatening cases.

 

Hi Wiseowl,

What are you apologising for? I'm so pleased you identified that plant as quickly as you did and enabled me to look it up. Otherwise it would still be in my 2 year old granddaughters collection.

I am annoyed at wilkinsons though because I think they have a duty to label plants with something other than 'flowering house plant' especially if it is toxic to either pets or children.

 

Auntpol, I understand your concern, but unless you are only going to grow vegetables as house plants you are going to find the same problem, again and again.

Not many "houseplants" are edible.
Probably the majority are toxic in some way or other.

 

Hi Pete,
Yes, I do understand that. But I would prefer to give my 2 year old granddaughter 'safer' plants if at all possible.

 

I agree with Pete.

Many houseplants, garden plants and plants found growing wild in the countryside are toxic/poisonous IF eaten.

You might be amazed to know just how many are bad for us.
But you survived!
So do millions of others.

 

Hi Silver Surfer,

I absolutely understand that most plants protect themselves in one way or another. But no matter how much you tell a two year old not to do something they invariably go ahead and do it (ask any parent) just because you told them not to.

So, I would wherever possible prefer my grandchildren to come into contact with plants that are not toxic until they get to the age where they actually understand that you are saying something for a reason.

 

latinized name: Kalanchoe blossfeldiana