Foxtail fern – why do people plant it when it can be so dangerous ?

Question

I read this and got so extremely frightened after having planted it for so long (got it as a gift) and only recently id-ed it , since it had grown all over my yard.

Foxtail fern is not only toxic if ingested. The plant itself can cause skin irritation, especially if the animal repeatedly rubs against it. Skin can begin to burn or itch. Irritation usually subsides after several minutes, but the plant should be kept out of reach of pets.The foxtail fern develops red berries just before it blooms. These berries are toxic to both humans and animals.

I removed it immediately as I have cats and had awful itch and irritation on my skin and eyes

My question is : why would anyone plant such a dangerous thing in their yard?

Answer 1

There are a great number of houseplants that are extraordinarily deadly. I always advise making sure that anything you plant is not accessible to children or animals before planting, so that one can be sure that nobody will be hurt by the plant. I, myself, have two small children. This makes me extra careful when I am planting anything, so that I do not put them in harms way. Although, before I had children I had several extremely deadly plants because they were also very beautiful. Something is very attractive about a plant that can be so deadly. I suppose it is the fact that you must have a great amount of respect for something with such striking beauty, but that could also kill in the wrong circumstance.