Hi, I recently adopted a cat, and as a result I have to find new homes for a few house plants I had which were toxic to pets. One plant I inherited from an ex-roomate. I have no idea what it is, or if it might be dangerous to my cat. Please help me if you can! Thank you.
To me it looks like it may be a HOYA LANCEOLATA, The foliage is thick and fleshy, glossy and mid- to dark green, the stems are firm and hard. If it is, it may flower with a very sweet smelling flower. Mine has not flowered as yet, although, my sister's flowers often dropping a honey like syprup. I do not know if this is a poisinous plant. Hope this helps. I have attached a photo of my hoya for comparison.
that looks like a LipStick plant to me and i did some searching and i dont think it is poisonous to animals .. most cats are pretty good about not chewing on plants and if u can just hang the plants or put them up were the cat usually dont get to .. most cats know what is poisonous to them .. good luck Marn
i agree that is a hoya and I have never heard of any problems with toxicity but if you search Hoya you can get specific info
i own both a hoya which looks just like yours by the way (when it flowers its very similar to hoya bella but a much larger version) and i used to own a lip stick plant that isnt a lip stick plant unless i am wrong i thought lipstick plant leaves where slightly furry.
It looks like an Ocimum basilicum and an Aeschynanthus, probably A. speciosus. Note the green stems in Mary's picture: the stems and leaf stems in Heather1's pictures are typical of Hoya spp.
it is a hoya and it is not toxic. cats are not interested in hoyas. the sirup dripping from the flower is very sweet. how do I know? I tasted it. it's a climber so give it something it can climb on and it is not a lipstick plant. just look at the pictures side by side and you'll be convinced.
Hoya is in a family of plants of which most members are poisonous, so I'd not want to say for certain that it isn't toxic; it very likely is, if you chew the leaves. Simple point is of course, by and large, people (and cats) don't chew leaves. And if one tried, the taste is likely to be so revolting as to make one stop before getting a harmful dose. So it is safe in that respect. The nectar in the flowers is a different case; nectar does not contain the toxins that may be present in the sap. Nectar evolved to be of food use to animals (insects, etc), whereas sap toxins evolved to discourage animals from eating the leaves.
well, my garden gets visited every summer by hummingbirds. maybe next year, I will get my hoya outside so that they can feed from them.