Hyacinthus orientalis 風信子

Liliaceae 百合科

Hyacinth1,2

洋水仙、五彩水仙、海仙花2

POISONOUS PARTS

Whole plant, especially the bulbs.2

TOXICITY

  • Toxic Constituents  
    Calcium oxalate raphides .3
  • Toxic Dose 
    Small amount of the sap of the bulbs can cause itchiness; prolonged and frequent contact can cause dermatitis.4
  • Mechanism 
    The toxic mechanism is not fully understood. Calcium oxalate raphides stored in specialized cells known as idioblasts are released when subjected to mechanical pressure such as ingestion and contact, causing tissue irritation and inflammation.3
  • Poisoning Features  
    Skin contact: "Hyacinth itch", an acute allergic reaction characterised by rash, violent itchness, inflammation and blistering; prolonged contact can result in contact dermatitis, callus formation and painful fissures on the fingertips. Ingestion: nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain.5,6
  • Poisoning Events  
    Hyacinth is a common species in the flower farming industry in the Netherlands. Contact dermatitis can develop in up to 30% of workers with prolonged exposure to the sap during cutting, sorting or peeling of the bulbs.4

CLINICAL MANAGEMENT

Supportive treatment. Avoidance of direct contact with the sap in allergic individuals.3

IDENTIFICATION FEATURES

Perennial herbs; bulbs ovoid. Stems up to 30 cm tall. Leaves basal, up to 4 cm wide, flat, succulent. Racemes erect, few to many flowered. Flowers white, pink, red, blue or purple, pendent to suberect, fragrant. Perianth 1–3.5 cm long, tubular, slightly constricted near middle, 6-lobed; lobes strongly recurved.7

LABORATORY ANALYSIS

Calcium oxalate raphides can be detected by polarizing microscopy.8