'Honey, we've got grapes this year!"

I looked up just in time to catch my husband gathering Virginia creeper berries for what would've been a sickening snack. As fall progresses in Central Texas, fruits designed to lure wildlife can prove too tempting for children, pets and even middle-aged men. The situation becomes even more hazardous as we haul our tender perennials indoors for the winter season and decorate our homes for the holidays.

According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, 92 percent of poisonings occur in and around our homes. Though household products come with bold warnings and parents have learned to keep them out of reach, most of us are oblivious to hidden dangers in our house plants and indoor landscaping.

What you don't know could hurt someone you love.

Homes

Several plants commonly used to green up our homes and offices pose a danger to pets and children. Anthurium, caladium, philodendron, dieffenbachia and spathiphyllum contain sharp needlelike crystals of calcium oxalate throughout their stems and leaves. When ingested, burning and irritation to the lining of the mouth, tongue and throat can lead to dangerous swelling, rendering the victim speechless.

Some plants we traditionally associate with seasonal celebrations contain potential toxins. Chrysanthemums in the fall, red tulips at Valentine's, Easter lilies in the spring and flowering kalanchoes in the summer pose a special risk for pets with unique sensitivities.

Ironically, poinsettia, the original "poster child of poisonous plants," is now considered only mildly toxic compared with other plants we use to deck our halls for the winter holidays. The berries of holly and its native relative, yaupon, can cause vomiting and diarrhea (hence the scientific name for yaupon, Ilex vomitoria). The white berries of mistletoe can cause gastric distress and lower blood pressure severely enough to kill.

English ivy is also considered poisonous, producing severe gastrointestinal distress if eaten in quantity.

Amaryllis, cyclamen, daffodils, hyacinth, lily of the valley, tulips, snowdrops, star of Bethlehem and many other blooming florist plants have underground parts (bulbs, corms, etc.) that are especially toxic, though no parts of these showy plants should be considered edible.

Landscapes

Oleander is widely cultivated along Texas highways, where it can take the heat and provide dependable color. Still, it's terrifying to see these showy shrubs in residential landscapes where children might ingest them because every part of this plant contains cardiac glycosides that can cause heart attacks. Oleander is so toxic that fatalities have occurred when stripped branches were used as grilling skewers.

One of our finest native landscape plants, mountain laurel (Sophora secundiflora), produces pods filled with seeds so loaded with poison that one could kill a child or pet. The leaves, pods and seeds of wisteria and Confederate jasmine, two favorite Southern vines, are also toxic.

Lantana contains compounds with a range of malicious effects, from gastrointestinal disturbances to photosensitization and liver dysfunction. Although the foliage is noxious, unripe (green) lantana berries are thought to be especially harmful.

The most sinister plant toxin occurs in castor bean plants (Ricinus communis). The seeds contain ricin, a toxic protein that attacks the lining of the digestive tract and can move on to damage other organs.

Several common hedge materials also create problems. Boxwood clippings have been implicated in pet poisonings and privet, which grows wild across our state, has foliage and berries severely irritating to gastro-intestinal systems.

Chinaberry (Melia azedarach), an Asian introduction, and western soapberry (Sapindus drummondii), a native tree, both produce glossy yellowish berries loaded with saponins that can affect the nervous system causing kidney failure and death.

Gardens

Tomatoes, peppers and potatoes are all members of the deadly nightshade family, known for producing both healthy foods and an array of plant poisons. Leaves and stems of tomatoes and potatoes can wreak havoc on your digestive system (vomiting, diarrhea, etc.) and cause nerve damage. Another relative grown as an ornamental, datura (angel's trumpet) makes news when teenagers intentionally ingest plant parts or smoke the seeds hoping to get high.

The difference between a hallucinogenic dose and a fatal one is so slim and unpredictable that death can result.

All parts of vegetable pea plants (Pisum) are edible while sweet pea (the ornamental variety, Lathyrus) leaves and seeds contain a poison that can produce lameness and paralysis (a syndrome called lathyrism, most commonly seen in range animals).

Some favorite Texas cut flowers can also cause nasty reactions. Monkshood, windflower, clematis and larkspur contain compounds that affect both digestive and nervous systems.

Some poisons in our flowering plants have medicinal value. Foxglove is the source of the heart drug digitalis and periwinkles (vinca, now Catharanthus to botanists) are the source of alkaloids that some say have increased survival rates from Hodgkin's disease and been helpful for those with childhood leukemia.

Finally, if you go in for the traditional Texas spring picture you'll also want to keep your children from munching on those bluebonnets or red spring poppies (toxic, too).

The good news? Although more than 50 percent of calls to poison control centers involve children younger than 6, they represent only 1.6 percent of the fatalities.

Ogorzaly is an Austin freelance writer, illustrator and co-author with Beryl Simpson of 'Economic Botany: Plants in Our World.'

More poisonous plant facts

Emergencies

Keep the poison control number ( (800) 764-7661) and a bottle of ipecac handy. If your child eats something suspect, remove what you can from the child's mouth. Ask them to show you what they were eating. Identifying the plant and estimating how much was consumed is helpful for the staff at poison control.

Most often they recommend monitoring your child or have the child drink a large glass of milk or eat bread (to absorb the irritant). In some cases they'll ask you to give your child ipecac (to induce vomiting) or, in rare instances, suggest you take your child to the emergency room. If you live far from the nearest emergency room, or are in a traffic-clogged city, calling 911 to summon EMS is often the fastest, safest way to get medical attention.

Pets

Pets exhibit widely different chemical sensitivities. Onions, grapes and raisins, macadamia nuts, uncooked bread dough or chocolate can make your dog deathly ill. Cats get high on catnip (which doesn't affect the rest of us) and have died after chewing on lilies. Almost all puppies go through a teething phase where they chew anything they can get their mouths around; most dogs outgrow this stage, which helps them set their teeth.

Cat represent only 10 percent of calls to American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' poison control hotline. Dogs, which tend to wolf down their food without tasting, prompt more than 88 percent of the calls.

Dogs can also get deathly ill drinking water contaminated with either antifreeze (which makes it appealingly sweet) or toxic algae. Always make fresh water available.

Cats that graze on plants in order to purge hair balls are also more likely to inadvertently poison themselves. Indoor cats nibble on houseplants and holiday décor out of boredom. If you're leaving your pets inside for long periods of time, forego mistletoe, Easter lilies or other seasonal decorative plants considered toxic. A homegrown patch of wheat grass can provide a safe alternative for cats looking for a green treat.

Plant poisonings are rare among house pets and there is legislation to force makers of antifreeze (the No. 1 cause of pet poisoning) to include a bitter additive. Download exhaustive lists of offending plants and never administer human medications to pets.

Resources: Veterinary Partners (www.veterinarypartners.com), ThePoop.com, The PetCenter.com and the Texas A&M University Web site (www.tamu.edu). The ASPCA maintains a 24-hour hotline (888) 426-4435; there is a fee for this service.

— Molly Ogorzaly