# What plants would you absolutely not feed?



## RosemaryDW (Jul 15, 2018)

I’m a pretty open minded feeder, as most of you know. But there are some plants I absolutely won’t feed and probably wouldn’t even if I saw someone else sucessfully feeding it. I am sure there are others but these are what immediately came to mind after a recent post on tree tobacco. These are only the plants I would reasonably come across in my area.

Angel’s Trumpet
Jimson Weed
Wild Tobacco
Foxgloves, anything with digitalis
Any nightshade
Hemlock—it’s extremely common where I live. This one worries me for other owners; it is related to, and looks very similar, to wild carrot. Easy to mistake.

What is on your *never ever* list?


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## Yvonne G (Jul 15, 2018)

Very common and planted EVERYWHERE - Oleander
Caster bean
azalea


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## Bambam1989 (Jul 15, 2018)

To add to y'alls lists I also will not feed 
Hydrangea
Rhododendron
Groundsel
Hemlock
Lupin
Tulips or any other bulb root plant


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## Pearly (Jul 15, 2018)

How about Datura? I never used to see it around my area and now i see them popping in people’s ornamental gardens. They are quite a beautiful plant with those huge white or purple trumpet like flowers. Every part of it is toxic. Ps, is Angel’s Trumpet related to Datura?


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## Bambam1989 (Jul 15, 2018)

Pearly said:


> How about Datura? I never used to see it around my area and now i see them popping in people’s ornamental gardens. They are quite a beautiful plant with those huge white or purple trumpet like flowers. Every part of it is toxic. Ps, is Angel’s Trumpet related to Datura?


I think they are the same thing.


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## RosemaryDW (Jul 15, 2018)

Pearly said:


> How about Datura?



They are related and have similar looking flowers. Datura is devil’s trumpet! Datura’s trumpet faced flowers tend to face up, angel’s trumpets face down. 

Jimsonweed is one of the daturas.

Either way, they’re poisonous.


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## RosemaryDW (Jul 15, 2018)

Yvonne G said:


> Very common and planted EVERYWHERE - Oleander
> Caster bean
> azalea



I should have said castor bean; they are so invasive now!

Oleander is just nasty. I don’t see it much where I live now but growing up it was everywhere; we had it all over one side of our house.


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## RosemaryDW (Jul 15, 2018)

Bambam1989 said:


> Lupin



Why not lupin?


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## Bambam1989 (Jul 15, 2018)

RosemaryDW said:


> Why not lupin?


Lupin has toxic alkaloids. I do not know exactly how severe the toxicity is. It grows wild here.


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## Bambam1989 (Jul 15, 2018)

Another toxic one is bleeding heart.


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## Lyn W (Jul 15, 2018)

Anything flagged in red as Do Not Feed on the the Tortoise Table website.
I'm sure I've read that plants growing from bulbs aren't safe too.


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## RosemaryDW (Jul 15, 2018)

Bambam1989 said:


> Lupin has toxic alkaloids. I do not know exactly how severe the toxicity is. It grows wild here.



Hmm. I’ve fed it a couple of times, mostly for the protein value in the pods in spring.

It’s a desert tortoise food; that’s why I’ve let my Russian have it. I’ll usually let her have anything I find on a desert tortoise list as they both come from hot and dry areas of scrub. That doesn’t mean other tortoises can handle it, though.

I’ll have to read up!


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## Bambam1989 (Jul 15, 2018)

RosemaryDW said:


> Hmm. I’ve fed it a couple of times, mostly for the protein value in the pods in spring.
> 
> It’s a desert tortoise food; that’s why I’ve let my Russian have it. I’ll usually let her have anything I find on a desert tortoise list as they both come from hot and dry areas of scrub. That doesn’t mean other tortoises can handle it, though.
> 
> I’ll have to read up!


I avoid it since I don't know how my tort will react to it. After reading that it was toxic it fell into mental "do not feed" list.


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## Pearly (Jul 15, 2018)

RosemaryDW said:


> Hmm. I’ve fed it a couple of times, mostly for the protein value in the pods in spring.
> 
> It’s a desert tortoise food; that’s why I’ve let my Russian have it. I’ll usually let her have anything I find on a desert tortoise list as they both come from hot and dry areas of scrub. That doesn’t mean other tortoises can handle it, though.
> 
> I’ll have to read up!



I want to say I remember seeing cows grazing on it. It was growing wild in Poland. Glorious plant!

i really miss seeing them. Here in Texas tho we have a dwarf version of it like this one

which is also very pretty especially in masses like the ones we get to enjoy here in the Spring

. Hope you don’t mind the screen shots. It’s late. I’m too tired to look through my own proper album


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## Maro2Bear (Jul 16, 2018)

I wouldnt feed Poison Ivy, or anything growing from tubers (daffodils to tulips to crocus), really most other vines or ground covers like pachysandra, or vines like wisteria, or trumpet vine, etc. That said Tortoise Table does say trumpet vine flowers can be fed sparingly.

I stick with proven weeds, grass, rose of sharon, plantain, dandelion, hibiscus and squash blossoms, pumpkin leaves too.


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