General Category > General Discussion
Help identifying this timber, please.
TWiG:
Is there any factual proof that any one has been harmed by eating or drinking from a vessel made from laburnum ? .....or yew for that matter ? Has any one been affected by working ( turning ) laburnum ?
Bryan Milham:
TwiG,
there was a TV news report a couple of years ago about cows that had died after they had eaten Yew trimmings that had been fly-tipped over the field hedge, so poisonous - I'd say yes.
However, George & I have a tree surgeon in the club who say's that only the sap, sap wood & seed pits/stones of the Yew are poisonous. He says he's eaten the red berry flesh (did not taste nice though). I'm only reporting what I've been told, from here on it's hearsay...
As for Laburnum, I've only ever been warned off from eating the seed pods, but never heard of anything more, so I chose not to eat anything made from Laburnum wood!
TWiG:
Dragonfly , it is well established and beyond doubt that the foliage and seed of Yew are toxic ,as indeed Laburnum seeds , many other plants have degrees of toxicity , but I have never heard of the wood being actively toxic to humans ( no one eats wood do they ? ) It may be theoretically possible for food or liquid to absorb toxins from vessels made from Laburnum or Yew but has it ever really happened ?
Bryan Milham:
TWiG,
Sorry, I read your comment one has been harmed by eating or drinking from a vessel made from laburnum ? .....or yew for that matter ?, and used it to expand the subject to what parts were dangerous.
I will admit though that my last sentence was frivolous - a small attempt at humour!
But from a personal position, I would be prepared to eat from a properly seasoned plate of laburnum or yew.
Les Symonds:
I just found this site, which has a fair bit of info about this.
http://www.thepoisongarden.co.uk/atoz/laburnum_anagyroides.htm
The gist of it is that whilst there are toxins in laburnum, cases of poisoning associated with contact to the timber are petty-much unheard of.
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