Are burning bush berries toxic

Answer 1

Birds eat it - get drunk - fall off the bush - get eaten by the cat. In that respect the berries are very fatal.

This link suggests that the berries are completely edible and can be used for jams and jellies http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/recipes/pyracanjelly.HTML while the Center for Poisen Control says the berries are "mildly" toxic and cause gastric upset in some people http://www.calpoison.org/public/plants-toxic.HTML. There are other links that suggest the berries are toxic:

http://www.shadeseclectus.com/safe.htm

http://www.chelonia.org/articles/plantsthatpoison.htm

http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/emergencies_first_aid/57912

http://www.sdturtle.org/Plants%20that%20Poison.htm

So - unless you are a cat looking for a bird that has eaten too much - or unless you are a Texas Aggie with a taste for adventure - its probably best to avoid eating the berries.

Answer 2

When burned, a butterfly bush is not necessarily toxic. However, when ingested, the butterfly bush is extremely toxic and can cause death.