what is this plant and is it ok near my curious cat.

Question

We were recently gifted a “full sun” annuals combination potted plant, pictured below, with three plants. We’ve identified the palm and the dark flowering plant,impatiens or busy lizzie’s as ok, but the bright green bushy plant that hangs down is unknown to us. We’ve been suggested it’s a rose of sharon or horseweed or Japanese spurge, but were not certain and our cat is a cat and is very curious about it. Could you help us identify it?

Answer 1

I’m inclined to agree with Erigeron canadensis, or horseweed. It isn’t listed as toxic to cats, but one of its lookalikes is. To be safe, I’d keep it out of reach of the cat. Still, if cat’s are eating plants it can be a sign of nutrient deficiency or stress, if the cat is chewing on your plants you may want to look into it a bit.

Here is some information on the plant: http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=2312