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The species of pear (bot. Amelanchier) are among the forgotten favorites of German gardeners and are characterized by a romantic appearance and wholesome fruits. The genus belongs to the pome fruit family (bot. Pyrinae) and is therefore closely related to other fruit trees such as apples or pears. As with many plant species that are not part of everyday life, people ask themselves whether the pear can also be poisonous.
ingredients
The pear is not poisonous, but in order to find out whether the species of the genus is intolerable for children and numerous animals such as dogs, cats and horses, their ingredients must be considered. These provide detailed information about possible toxic substances that can have different effects on the organism. The ingredients are those listed below.
Pear in the garden
1. Cyanogenic Glycosides
These glycosides are plant toxins that are present in the leaves and seeds of the service fruit. They are compounds of alcohols and sugars that also have a nitrile group. When broken down, this produces hydrogen cyanide, which is highly toxic and should be avoided at all costs.
2. Flavonoids
These secondary plant substances are responsible for the coloring of the flowers of the service pear. They are an antioxidant and even have beneficial effects on the body as they fight against free radicals in the body and thus act against aging, numerous diseases and stress.
3. Tannins
The tannins are a defense mechanism of the plant. It makes all parts taste bitter except for the berries, so that predators cannot easily attack the otherwise defenseless plant.
toxicity
For the people
The cyanogenic glycosides are the only truly toxic component of the plants and do not in themselves pose any danger to adult humans. Since the substance is only found in the leaves and seeds of the service pear, you will not even come into contact with the substance during normal use of the plant Contact. Although there are seeds within the fruit, these are harmless, as with the apple. Yes, you heard that right, apple seeds also have the glycosides. Why the seeds of the pear pose no danger is explained as follows.
- Seeds contain only extremely small amounts of the substance
- Seeds are not digested by the body and are simply excreted
- occasionally seeds are chewed
- however, the amount for dangerous poisoning is not enough in a normal portion
Pear as a shrub for the garden
The healthier a person is, the higher the tolerance of the berries on the body. Children can also eat the berries without any problems, but the amounts should be kept smaller out of sheer caution. Small children in particular may not be able to tolerate the seeds, since their organism is generally much smaller. If the poisoning is mild, it will show up in the following symptoms.
- unwell
- nausea
- Vomit
- diarrhea
Treat these symptoms with sufficient liquid, also in the form of tea. It is best to choose a soothing tea such as chamomile for this. Please ensure that you never eat the leaves as they contain larger amounts of glycosides. Children are usually protected against eating the leaves because they are very bitter and are usually spat out again.
Tip: If you have a pear in the garden yourself, the harvest is unlikely to be large as the berries are extremely popular with birds. They like to harvest the trees and usually only leave a few berries in a harmless quantity.
For dogs
Canines generally have nothing to worry about in relation to the service pear. Because it's not actually toxic, dogs can eat a small amount before becoming ill. Since man's best friend should not eat too much sweet fruit due to the numerous fruit acids, you don't have to worry about a small amount of the berries. However, pay more attention to puppies and four-legged friends who are jealous of food, as they eat huge amounts of the pear berries. If Bello does not get the fruit, vomiting or diarrhea occurs. If this persists, you should definitely consult a veterinarian.
Pear Amelanchier
For cats
With cats it gets a little more complicated. While the berries aren't poisonous to velvet paws in reasonable quantities, they do have a habit of nibbling on leaves in the garden. Since domesticated cats do not know which plants are poisonous, they like to try one or the other plant. The animals do not always notice the tannins either, since their sense of taste is less developed than that of dogs and humans. So make absolutely sure that your cat exploring your garden does not eat the leaves. The symptoms here are similar to those of the dogs.
For horses
Neither the leaves nor the berries of the pear tree are dangerous to horses. Although the rather large animals have no problem picking the leaves from the trees, they are more interested in the grass, hay and other plants that are much more digestible. They are occasionally happy about the fruit, because horses love sweets, but avoid the leaves because they are too bitter. Another advantage of ungulates is their size and mass, which makes them more resilient.
Horses in the paddock
Tip: Rodents and small animals should only eat small amounts of the berries and no leaves, as these are much more sensitive than horses.
Sources:
- http://www.gizbonn.de/96.0.html
- https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen cyanide
- https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanogene_Glycoside