Native Plants
![](../_images/smarty_plants.gif)
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
![](../_images/mr_smarty_plants_logo_web_200w.jpg)
rate this answer
![](../_images/star_00.gif)
Friday - May 17, 2013
From: Bakersfield, CA
Region: California
Topic: Non-Natives, Poisonous Plants, Vines
Title: Non-native vines poisonous from Bakersfield CA
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
Are pink bower vines and stars and stripes mandevilla toxic to dogs?ANSWER:
Pandorea jasminoides 'Rosea' (pink bower vine) is native to New South Wales and Queensland Australia, and is therefore not in our Native Plant Database, which is limited to plants native not only to North America but to areas in which they grow naturally; in your case, Kern Co., CA.
There are four members of the Mandevilla genus native to North America, none are native to California. They are: Mandevilla brachysiphon (Huachuca mountain rocktrumpet), Mandevilla hypoleuca (Davis mountain rocktrumpet), Mandevilla lanuginosa (Plateau rocktrumpet) and Mandevilla macrosiphon (Plateau rocktrumpet). All are in the Aponaceae Family (dogbane) which is not a good sign. The Mandevilla 'Stars and Stripes' is also sometimes referred to as Brazilian mandevilla, so your plant may have been derived from a non-native plant, but they will all belong to the same family, Aponaceae. We are assuming that 'Stars and Stripes' is a trade name, a cultivar, selection or hybid; again, not in our line of expertise. However, we can give you some websites you can check for whether or not a plants has poisonous parts and it is better to know the scientific name for the search.
The lists often are only plants native to North America, but ordinarily if you search on one genus name (jasminoides or mandevilla) the information on the poisonous plants will be the same for all species of that genus. Here is our list:
University of Arkansas
University of Illinois
Poisonous Plants of North Carolina
University of Pennsylvania Poisonous Plants
Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System
You should also check with your veterinarian to make sure some locally available plant has not been proved to be poisonous that is not on any of the lists.
More Poisonous Plants Questions
Eliminating silverleaf nightshade from Albuquerque NM
June 07, 2014 - I have silverleaf nightshade in my yard and would like to eradicate it (yeah, I know, good luck!) or at least control it. Do you have any suggestions?
view the full question and answer
Fast growing trees in Idaho
April 10, 2008 - I want to plant fast-growing trees on my property in Idaho. What trees are poisonous to horses and dogs? I am particularly interested in the Royal Empress (Paulowmia) tree and the dogwood tree.
view the full question and answer
Native plants that will grow under alleopathic black walnut
March 03, 2007 - I have a large, beautiful black walnut tree in my yard and have trouble growing the annuals, begonia, impatients, etc., that I have always grown. They don't do well in the ground and I have resorted...
view the full question and answer
Is Nothoscordum bivalve (crow poison, false garlic) really poison
April 02, 2011 - Your Native Plants Database notes that False Garlic (aka, Crow Poison), Nothoscordum bivalve, is poisonous. Many other sites also state this, but I have been unable to find a reference giving specifi...
view the full question and answer
Is Bignonia capreolata (crossvine) poisonous?
March 18, 2012 - I need to know whether any part of Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata) is poisonous. Am thinking of planting it at an Elder Day Center for people with memory problems and the director insists - no toxic ...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |