What are Nandinas plants? Are they bad?
by
Happy Powell
+9
People are talking about Nandias, how they are invasive & the berries are killing cedar waxwing birds. I live in SC,where our family has had nandias for 100's of years. Never heard of this. How about you? Thx,hp from South Carolina
I live inVA and have plenty of these. In fact nandina is my favorite because of it's year round life. I have never heard of it being harmful. Ithink birds and other outdoor creatures know what's good and not good to eat. joy
I live in Long Island New york and have two never had a single problem.
Hi from Australia. I had the old style Nandina that was invasive. It grew to about 6 foot tall and was damn hard to get rid of. 5 years and still struggle with it. The modern nandina only grows to about 2 foot tall and you will have no problem.
If Wikipedia is correct . . . . .
Nandina domestica (/nænˈdiːnə dəˈmɛstᵻkə/ nan-dee-nuh)[1][2][3] commonly known as nandina, heavenly bamboo or sacred bamboo, is a species of flowering plant in the family Berberidaceae, native to eastern Asia from the Himalayas to Japan. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Nandina.
Toxicity[edit]
Cedar waxwings are subject to cyanide toxicosis from eating the berries, resulting in death to multiple birds at one time.[4]
Berries of the sacred bamboo
All parts of the plant are poisonous, containing compounds that decompose[5][6] to produce hydrogen cyanide, and could potentially be fatal if ingested. The plant is placed in Toxicity Category 4, the category "generally considered non-toxic to humans,"[7] but the berries are considered toxic to cats and grazing animals.[8] Excessive consumption of the berries will kill birds such as Cedar Waxwings.[9] The berries also contain alkaloids such as nantenine, which is used in scientific research as an antidote to MDMA.[10][11]
I have had Nandina's for 50 yrs. in various yards. The birds where I live eat them all winter.Never had a problem.Never found a dead bird.
I have had Nandinas, they are beautiful- in the right place. They do grow by sending out shoots from the roots but nothing that is ridiculous to control if you don't mind a little work. I put them in an area where I welcome them filling in nicely by berry/seed and I have on many occasions dugout 2 inch seedlings The transplant very nicely and share well with friends and family
Love my Nandina, never had a problem with the plant or berries.
I planted one Nandina. Now they are popping up all over our three acres heavily wooded lot. Birds eat the. Eautuful bright red berries and spread them everywhere. Very invasive