Amaryllis spp.

Amaryllis spp. is toxic to cats, dogs and horses. The reported severity is moderate. Also known as Amaryllis, Onions, and Allies, Amaryllis and Belladonna Lily.

dogs cats horses

Mild Moderate Severe Critical

If your animal ate this plant, call your veterinarian now, or one of these services.

What do I do right now?
  • Australia
    Animal Poisons Helpline 1300 869 738 24 hours, every day · From $75
  • Austria
    Vergiftungsinformationszentrale 01 406 43 43 24 hours, every day
  • Belgium
    Centre Antipoisons 070 245 245 08:00 to 22:00 on weekdays, 10:00 to 22:00 at weekends · Human calls come first. The centre has no funding for animal work.
  • Canada
    Pet Poison Helpline (855) 764-7661 24 hours, every day · $89 for each incident
  • France
    Centre National d'Informations Toxicologiques Vétérinaires 04 78 87 10 40 08:30 to midnight, every day
  • Germany
    Giftinformationszentrum Bonn 0228 19240 24 hours, every day · Germany has no dedicated animal service. Human calls come first, so an animal call can wait.
  • Ireland

    Ireland has no animal poison service for owners. Call your veterinarian. An Irish veterinarian can consult the Veterinary Poisons Information Service in the United Kingdom.

  • Italy
    Centro Antiveleni di Milano 02 6610 1029 24 hours, every day
  • Netherlands
    Nationaal Vergiftigingen Informatie Centrum 088 755 8000 Veterinarians only 24 hours, every day · Call your veterinarian. Your veterinarian calls this line.
  • New Zealand
    Animal Poisons Helpline 0800 869 738 24 hours, every day
  • Sweden

    Giftinformationscentralen stopped answering questions about animals on 1 July 2018. Call your veterinarian or an animal hospital.

  • Switzerland
    Tox Info Suisse 145 24 hours, every day · From outside Switzerland, call +41 44 251 51 51.
  • United Kingdom
    Animal PoisonLine 01202 509 000 24 hours, every day · £35 from 08:00 to 20:00 Monday to Friday, £45 at other times
    Veterinary Poisons Information Service 020 7305 5055 Veterinarians only 24 hours, every day · A members only service. Your veterinarian calls this line.
  • United States
    ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (888) 426-4435 24 hours, every day · A consultation fee applies
    Pet Poison Helpline (855) 764-7661 24 hours, every day · $89 for each incident

Symptoms to watch for

Vomiting Depression Diarrhea Abdominal Pain Drooling Loss Of Appetite Tremors

The color of each symptom follows the severity scale above.

About

Amaryllis is the only genus in the subtribe Amaryllidinae. It is a small genus of flowering bulbs, with two species. The better known of the two, Amaryllis belladonna, is a native of the Western Cape region of South Africa, particularly the rocky southwest area between the Olifants River Valley and Knysna.

How this plant poisons

Amaryllis belladonna is toxic to humans and to domestic animals, including dogs, cats, and horses. In animals, poisoning usually follows ingestion of the plant, particularly the bulbs. The toxic effects are associated with alkaloids, especially lycorine; several phenanthridine alkaloids have been identified in its leaves, stems, and bulbs, with the bulbs consistently described as the most hazardous part of the plant. In humans, ingestion is reported to cause vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, hypersalivation, and tremors. In animals, reported signs include vomiting, excessive salivation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, respiratory difficulty, ataxia, seizures, and hypotension after larger exposures.

Common Names

  • Amaryllis, Onions, and Allies
  • Amaryllis
  • Belladonna Lily
  • South American Amaryllis
  • Marchlily Subtribe
  • Red Spider Lily
  • Atamasco Lily
  • White Rain-Lily
  • Pandan
  • Rose Pink Zephyr Lily
  • Rio Grande Copper Lily
  • Barbados Lily
  • Cuban Zephyrlily
  • April-Fool Parasol
  • Guernsey Lily
  • Netted-Veined Amaryllis
  • Rosepink Zephyr Lily

Also recorded as Marchlilies.

Facts

Family
Amaryllidaceae
Duration
Perennial
Growth habit
Forb/herb
In the wild
US, PT, ZA, AU, NZ, GB + more
Source
Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Countries with the most wild observations, from GBIF data.