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PLEASE NOTE:
"Poisonous" does not mean deadly. Some manifestations of toxicity are subtle. The dose, as always, determines if a plant is safe source of nutrients or a toxic hazard.

Frequently (and not so frequently) Asked Questions

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BRIEF: Are you aware of any species of eucalyptus that may be toxic to domestic/wildlife?


QUESTION:
Are you aware of any species of eucalyptus that may be toxic to domestic/wildlife? Several sources reference HCN as a compound in young shoots, etc. Any help you might provide would be most appreciated.

ANSWER:
The Blue Gum Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus) is not very tasty because of the essential oils, but it is not very toxic. The purified oils can be ingested at toxic doses, but browsing a few buds wan't so much. This is the gum tree I know best from living in California. It is true that Eucalyptus viminalis and cladocalyx (sweet gum?) have enough cyanide in some plant parts sometimes to do in livestock, but I have no first-hand experience with this phenomenon. As for the other 497 species of Eucalyptus...who knows? There is a poisoning that cattle can get in Australia that happens when they eat insects that fall out of Eucalypts, but I never heard of that happening in Texas.