Planting trees can transform your Arkansas yard, but some come with hidden risks. Certain species are toxic to pets, kids, or even adults if touched or ingested.
Knowing which trees to steer clear of can save a lot of trouble down the road. Here’s a guide to 12 trees Arkansas homeowners should avoid planting.
1. Black Walnut
Ever noticed how nothing grows under these giants? Black walnut trees release a chemical called juglone that’s toxic to many plants. Throughout Arkansas, gardeners discover the hard way that vegetables and flowers wither near these trees.
The nuts can cause intestinal distress if eaten raw, and handling the husks may stain skin. Even horses can develop laminitis from bedding containing black walnut wood shavings.
2. Angel’s Trumpet
Don’t let the heavenly name fool you. Every part of this striking tree contains dangerous tropane alkaloids. In central Arkansas gardens, these beautiful bell-shaped flowers hide a deadly secret.
Even small amounts can cause hallucinations, confusion, and dilated pupils. Children are particularly vulnerable to accidental poisoning. The sweet scent might tempt curious pets and kids, making this beauty a risky choice.
3. Yew
Behind those bright red berries lurks a deadly threat. Nearly every part of yew trees contains taxine alkaloids that can cause heart failure. Arkansas emergency rooms occasionally treat cases of yew poisoning, especially during holiday seasons.
The needles remain toxic even when dried. Just a handful of seeds can be fatal to children. Despite their attractive appearance in Ozark landscapes, these evergreens pose a serious risk to families with small children or pets.
4. Oleander
With its gorgeous pink or white blooms, oleander seems like a dream addition to southern Arkansas gardens. However, this beauty conceals cardiac glycosides that can stop a heart with just a few leaves.
Smoke from burning oleander can cause severe respiratory issues. Even honey made from oleander flowers contains toxins. The sap can irritate skin and eyes, making pruning this plant a hazardous task without proper protection.
5. Golden Chain Tree
Those cascading yellow flowers might catch your eye at Arkansas nurseries, but beware! Golden chain trees contain cytisine, a compound similar to nicotine. Children in the Little Rock area have been hospitalized after eating the seed pods.
The toxicity remains even after the blooms fade. Just 15-20 seeds can be fatal to a child. While rare in northern Arkansas, these trees are becoming more popular in landscaping throughout the state.
6. Chinaberry
You’ll spot these invasive trees throughout Arkansas’s warmer regions. Their light purple flowers and golden berries might look appealing, but they contain neurotoxins that affect the nervous system.
Children have suffered from vomiting, seizures, and breathing difficulties after eating as few as six berries. Birds spread the seeds across Arkansas landscapes, making this tree not just toxic but environmentally problematic for the Natural State’s ecosystems.
7. Horse Chestnut
Not to be confused with edible chestnuts, these trees produce toxic nuts containing aesculin. Around Arkansas homes, their spiky seed cases often attract curious children who mistake them for their edible cousins.
Symptoms of poisoning include vomiting, weakness, and muscle twitching. The leaves and flowers also contain toxins. Despite their beautiful candle-like blooms that grace many Arkansas neighborhoods in spring, these trees deserve caution around families.
8. Castor Bean
Growing wild in southern Arkansas, this plant contains ricin—one of the most potent plant toxins known. The seeds’ mottled appearance makes them attractive to children, despite their deadly contents.
Just one chewed seed can kill a child. Arkansas gardeners sometimes grow these for their tropical-looking foliage without realizing the danger. The toxin can even be absorbed through skin cuts when handling damaged leaves.
9. Kentucky Coffee Tree
Native to parts of Arkansas, these trees produce pods containing cytisine that can cause severe digestive distress. Early settlers used roasted seeds as a coffee substitute, but raw seeds are dangerous.
The leaves and bark also contain toxins. Cattle in Arkansas pastures have died after consuming pods that fell from these trees. Though less common in home landscapes, they occasionally appear in older Arkansas properties.
10. Chinese Tallow
Known as “popcorn trees” across Arkansas, these invasive beauties sport waxy white seeds that resemble popcorn. The milky sap contains toxins that irritate skin and can cause severe reactions if ingested.
Birds spread these trees throughout Arkansas wetlands, where they outcompete native species. The autumn foliage turns brilliant red, tempting homeowners despite the environmental and health risks they pose to Arkansas ecosystems and families.
11. Boxwood
Common in Arkansas landscaping, these evergreen shrubs contain alkaloids that can cause serious digestive issues. Gardeners across the Natural State often experience skin irritation after extensive pruning without gloves.
The leaves release a distinctive odor when crushed. Horses and dogs in Arkansas have fallen ill after chewing on boxwood trimmings. Though fatalities are rare, the intense vomiting and diarrhea from ingestion can lead to dangerous dehydration.
12. Yellow Oleander
Not related to common oleander but equally dangerous, this tree contains cardiac glycosides that disrupt heart rhythm. In southern Arkansas counties, these tropical-looking trees occasionally appear in landscaping.
All parts are toxic, especially the seeds. Even drinking water from a vase that held yellow oleander flowers can cause poisoning. Arkansas poison control centers warn that symptoms can appear within hours of ingestion and may require emergency cardiac care.