POISONOUS PARTS
Whole plant, especially the bulbs.2
TOXICITY
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Toxic Constituents
Calcium oxalate raphides .3
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Toxic Dose
Small amount of the sap of the bulbs can cause itchiness; prolonged and frequent contact can cause dermatitis.4
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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
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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
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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
