Is String of Pearls Toxic?
Curio rowleyanus (formerly Senecio rowleyanus)
String of Pearls is toxic to cats, dogs, and humans alike, and the shape of the plant itself is a big part of why this particular toxicity entry deserves extra attention: the round, bead-like leaves genuinely resemble small toys, candy, or pearls, especially to a small child.
A Note on the Name Change
Botanists reclassified this plant from Senecio rowleyanus to Curio rowleyanus in 2012, moving it out of the enormous Senecio genus (which includes many well-documented toxic species) into the smaller Curio genus. Older poison-control references and plant identification guides may still list it under its former Senecio name, which is worth knowing if cross-referencing symptom information from an older source or a veterinary database that hasn't updated its taxonomy.
The Toxic Compound
String of Pearls (Curio rowleyanus, formerly classified as Senecio rowleyanus) contains sap compounds, likely including pyrrolizidine-related and other irritant substances typical of some Asteraceae-family succulents, that cause gastrointestinal and skin irritation on contact or ingestion. The exact compound profile is less precisely documented than better-studied toxins like calcium oxalate crystals, but the clinical effect -- irritation on contact and after ingestion -- is well established through veterinary and poison-control case reports.
Severity Compared to Truly Dangerous Houseplants
It's worth keeping this in perspective: String of Pearls sits at the milder end of the houseplant toxicity spectrum, causing irritation rather than the organ damage or severe systemic effects associated with genuinely dangerous plants like sago palm or true lilies. That doesn't make it safe to ignore, but a single curious nibble is far more likely to result in an unpleasant afternoon than an emergency.
Symptoms in Pets and Humans
Ingesting the bead-like leaves typically causes:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Drooling and oral irritation
- Skin dermatitis from sap contact, in pets or humans with sensitive skin
Larger ingested quantities are associated with more serious symptoms in some reported cases, making this a plant where quantity genuinely matters more than with some milder oxalate-crystal irritants that cause immediate pain and therefore naturally limit how much gets eaten. Small dogs and cats are generally at higher relative risk than larger dogs simply because a given amount of ingested plant material represents a proportionally bigger dose for a smaller body.
The Specific Risk to Small Children
String of Pearls' rounded, bead-like leaves trail in long strands that closely resemble a string of actual pearls or small round candies, and this resemblance is specifically called out by poison control resources as a reason for elevated caution in households with toddlers who explore the world by putting things in their mouths. A hanging basket placed at an adult's eye level rather than within a small child's easy reach meaningfully reduces this specific risk, and the same placement logic applies to curious cats, which are often more inclined to investigate a dangling, swaying strand than a plant sitting still in a pot on the floor.
What To Do After Exposure
Wash out the mouth with water for any pet or child who’s bitten into the beads, then watch closely for vomiting, diarrhea, or skin irritation -- call a veterinarian, poison control, or pediatrician if any of that looks significant or a real quantity went down. Get sap-exposed skin washed with soap and water without much delay.
How This Compares to Other Common Houseplants
Unlike the aroid houseplants on this site -- pothos, philodendron, peace lily -- where microscopic needle-shaped calcium oxalate crystals deliver immediate, sharp mouth pain that stops most curious pets after one bite, String of Pearls works through a different, sap-based irritation. String of Pearls' sap-based irritation tends to develop more gradually and doesn't necessarily cause that same instant deterrent pain, which is part of why poison control resources flag it as worth slightly more vigilance despite neither plant being classified as severely toxic in the way something like a lily (true Lilium, unrelated to peace lily) is to cats.
Handling Cuttings and Pruning Safely
Because this plant is propagated so frequently by trimming and rerooting strands, routine pruning is actually one of the more common ways a household member ends up with sap on their hands or under their fingernails. Wearing thin gloves while taking cuttings is a simple habit that avoids this entirely, and washing hands promptly afterward matters even for someone with no known sensitivity, since reactions to plant sap can sometimes develop or worsen with repeated exposure over time.
Safer Placement in Practice
Given the toy-like appearance of the pearls, a hanging basket is genuinely a better placement choice than a low shelf or tabletop pot in households with toddlers or pets prone to chewing -- the trailing growth habit that makes this plant popular for shelves and macrame hangers also happens to work in its favor here, keeping the most tempting part of the plant naturally out of easy reach when hung appropriately high.