Canada 
Is there a foxglove species that is not harmful/poisonous? I am looking for a similar plant that grows 4'-5' in sun/shade that is a perrenial. I have two dogs that occassionally like to taste a flower or leaf.
26 Jul, 2010
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All members of the digitalis family contain digoxin which is the glycoside which makes it potentially dangerous.
However, infusions of the leaves and flowers were used for centuries as a treatment for diseases like dropsy as it stimulates the heart, so a dog just nibbling the leaf or flower would not mean it would come to any harm. (Though is not recommended for anyone or anything!)
I would guess the dogs are just being inquisitive and as soon as they got the nasty taste would spit out the leaf.
If you really started to analyse the poisonous potential of all your plants, you wouldn't have much left. Potato and tomato foliage is extremely poisonous as members of the deadly nightshade family, not to mention yew trees, and campanulas and aconitum which is many times more poisonous than digitalis.
26 Jul, 2010