Greenhouse of Horror

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 F.A.Q.:

Or, Frequently Asked Questions.
Send additional questions to c.lawson.creatures@gmail.com; I'll be updating this page as I think of more to share.

Is this plant safe for pets?


Generally, no. The two most common pet species, cats and dogs, are both carnivores and should not be consuming raw plants to begin with. Combine that with the myriad of fertilizers and treatments house plants absorb, and any houseplant will surely give your furry friend an upset stomach. I know however, that you and your pet will not always agree on what is and is not food. Listed below are the genera of plants I sell and their known toxicities.

Haworthiopsis, the zebra cactus, is non-toxic.
Anacampseros, the sunrise succulent, is non-toxic.
Echeveria succulent species are non-toxic.
Tilliandsia, air-plants, are non-toxic.

Drosera, sundews, are currently known to be non-toxic. Skin reactions to the sundew’s mucilage and poisoning after consumption have never been reported. I have noticed mild itchiness after working with my larger specimens at length, but nothing near what would be considered a medical event. I consider it best to keep animals away from your sundew, as they are sticky, and your pet is covered in fur. There is also a slight risk that the sundew may catch an insect that is toxic, and having immobilized it’s prey, can give your pet an opportunity to eat it.

Sarracenia, temperate pitcher plants, are non-toxic. Similar to the sundew you need to be aware of the insects these plants attract while kept outside. Wasps are commonly drawn to their traps, and can be alive in the plant for days after entrapment.

Monstera species are toxic.
Schefflera, umbrella trees, are toxic.
Scindapsus, satin pothos, are toxic.
Epipremnum species pothos, are toxic.

The above toxic plants have a compound called calcium oxalate that forms indigestible crystals in the leaves and stems. When ingested these crystals cause intense irritation of the entire digestive tract as they pass through.

Tradescantia, inch plant, species are toxic. Inch plant sap, which can be drawn from broken stems, is known to cause dermatitis in pets. I personally have not had any reactions working with my own stock of tradescantia, but people with sensitive skin should use caution as well.

Plectranthus species may be toxic. The plectranthus genus is very large; some species in it are safe, some are not. The Bonsai Mint, plectranthus ernstii, is considered safe, but I don’t trust like that and keep my personal plant well out of animal reach.

Chlorophytum, spider plants, may be toxic. Most sites list spider plants as pet safe, and I can confirm that despite frequent nibbling my cats are just fine. However, my research so far on this plant has been conflicting. Rumor is, spider plants contain a compound that causes mild hallucinations in cats. Some sites claim it is similar to catnip, others compare it to opium, and others still claim this is a myth. None that I have visited so far actually name this compound. What I can give based on my own observations is that cats are drawn to spider plant leaves more than other plants. I’m unsure if it is the plants’ alluring shape or a chemical draw, but 9/10 cat-on-plant crimes are against my spiders. I have also observed that if allowed to chew too much, the cat will throw it back up.

Nepenthes species may be toxic. ASPCA lists the tropical pitcher plant species as toxic, siting gastrointestinal upset. However! There are species of pitcher plants that produce a sugary exuadte designed to attract shrew species- not as prey though. The secretion is thought to be laxative and encourages the tree shrews to defecate into the plant’s pitcher. N. hemslyana has a similar arrangement with Hardwicke’s Wooly Bat, where the animal will shelter inside the pitcher during the day, then leaves to feed at night. If it were the digestive fluid of nepenthes that was toxic, these minute mammals would be unable to live as close to the pitchers as they do. Toxicity in leaves is also unlikely, as pitcher plants are an ingredient in lemang periuk kera. A Malyasian heritage food, lemang periuk kera are nepenthes pitchers filled with sticky rice and steamed in coconut milk. Dumplings made from plant pods! In addition, there are many reports of growers sipping the digestive fluid of their plants around the web, I’ve seen people report their experiences on reddit, tumblr, and youtube (I will gladly link when I find them again).
With all this said, do not allow your pet to chew up your nepenthes. The plants are expensive. Nepenthes is a large genus with wild diversity in behavior, and it is entirely possible that some species may contain toxins. Also, like the temperate pitcher, the tropical pitcher is a master at attracting large, horrifying, stinging insects.

My primary source for all this information was the ASPCA webpage on plant safety. Peppered in are my own observations, wikipedia finds, and the occasional source linked in the text. Final disclaimer, ASPCA only has research for cats, dogs, and horses. If you are exposing, say, a pet bug to your plants??? Do Not. Plants that you got from me??? Stop that. What are you DOING?

Who are you? What is this?

I am Dr. C. Lawson; mad scientist and artist. Not legally a doctor. You may have seen me on instagram as cannibalistickiwi. Art sales initially was my goal for doing pop-up shops, but the plants chose me as their vessel for multi-household spread. So now I sell plants.

This site exists as a care reference for people who buy my plants, and as an inventory hub for people who want to buy plants. Buy my plants. I have some larger goals for this site in terms of horticultural education. I hate that the internet is getting cluttered with stolen, repetitive, AI generated “information” slop. I live on the internet, and would like at least one website on carnivorous plants to be how it was formerly: 100% all human written slop. I also want to encourage people to grow plants at home. Starting their hobbies in house plants, building confidence in the craft. Then moving up to food, herbs, fibers, and having to share crop with neighbors because it grew too well and now there’s So Much Sponge, but this inspires others nearby to grow in their yard and it leads to the whole neighborhood gardening and losing their complete reliance on the grocery industry. Community centered food sourcing. Ultimately this will lead to the death of Walmart and it’s ilk… but that’s all still being work shopped :) The Greenhouse of Horror is about carnivorous plants :)

Is this AI?

Nope. Not on this site. Never. As soon as I figure out how to code to keep bots from scraping here I'm blocking AI too. Going to keep it ad free as long as I can also. My thoughts are my own and the only person profiting off them will be me.