How safe are boxwood plants?
The bottom line
Boxwood plants and hedges are common and generally present low toxicity for humans. However, when eaten they can be toxic for animals including dogs, cats, and horses.
Prevention Tips
Have all of your plants (indoor and outdoor) correctly identified by a knowledgeable expert.
Always be aware of plants growing near your home, especially if you have small children or pets.
Do not taste plants without properly identifying them first.
This Really Happened
A mother called her poison center about her 9-month-old daughter who might have swallowed 1 or 2 small leaves from a boxwood plant while playing outside. The poison center reassured her that toxicity was not likely given the exploratory nature of the ingestion. The mother was told to offer her daughter a small snack to make sure she was able to swallow without difficulty and advised her to call back if she noticed any severe gastrointestinal symptoms like persistent vomiting and diarrhea. When the poison center called back the following day, the mother reported the girl never developed any symptoms.
The full story
Boxwood (genus Buxus) encompasses around 70 species of shrub-like evergreen plants that have become very popular woody ornamentals and are commonly used in landscaping, hedging, and gardening. They have angular stems with plentiful small, glossy, green leaves that are dense and usually oval or lance shaped. They are native to Europe and Asia but are now found throughout the US.
Some common Buxus species include:
Buxus sempervirens (common box)
Buxus longifolia (English box)
Buxus harlandii (Korean box)
Buxus microphylla (Japanese box, littleleaf box)
Buxus vahlii (Vahl’s box)
Buxus portoricensis (Puerto Rico box)
The primary toxin found in Buxus species is a bitter alkaloid called buxine (or buxene). Contact with skin can cause mild irritation, but otherwise it is generally safe to handle. Human ingestion of boxwood is rare, but in cases of large ingestions it would most likely cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. While relatively safe in humans, boxwood can be potentially toxic to animals such as dogs, cats, and horses. There have been reports of livestock eating the leaves of boxwood and developing profuse diarrhea, salivation, dehydration, and in some cases seizures and death.
For questions about potential poisoning related to boxwood, use the webPOISONCONTROL® online tool to get help or call your poison center at 1-800-222-1222. Whether online or by phone, expert guidance is always free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day.
For More Info
References
Buxus.—Box. Helsinki: Henriette Kress [cited 2021 Aug 31].
Buxus sempervirens. BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine [cited 2021 Aug 30].
Hart RC. Toxicity of traditional Christmas greens. Ind Med Surg. 1961;30:522–5.
Wink M. Mode of action and toxicology of plant toxins and poisonous plants. Mitt Julius Kühn-Inst. 2009;421:93–112.
