How poisonous is laburnum?

[tinderbox]

Okay I'm in the naughty corner. SWMBO and the boy return home from a couple of days camping and climbing, complete with photos of a pair of Golden Eagles, (lucky so and so's). Meanwhile I show her the beautiful grain from a bit of old log that's been lying around the garden for years. "Yes it is lovely," she says, "but do you know it's laburnum."

"Ah!", says I. "That'll explain the acrid smell coming from the woodash tin."

So, how poisonous is the stuff. Is there anything I can safely do with the few bits of rather nice wood I've got?

 

[Jodie]

According to Wikipedia (which is not a reliably authored text, but is usually bang on) it's
quite nasty stuff when eaten (any part of the plant).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laburnum

"Laburnum seed toxicity is a common cause of poisoning in young children, who mistake
the seeds for peas."

and

"All parts of the plant are poisonous and can be lethal if consumed in excess. Symptoms
of Laburnum poisoning may include intense sleepiness, vomiting, convulsive movements,
coma, slight frothing at the mouth and unequally dilated pupils. In some cases, diarrhea is
very severe and at times the convulsions are markedly tetanic."

Avoiding eating it would seem to be the wisest strategy, but I don't know how awful it is
for merely handling.

My parents had one in the garden for years before it spontaneously keeled over one day
where it lay for a week or so before it was removed. I used to play on it as a small child,
I used to clamber all over it when I was about six (admittedly just for a week).

I think you'd be okay working with the wood, as long as you're not making any pencils
and are in no danger of chewing them.
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/althea/TimbersAtoM.htm

 

[tinderbox]

Hi Jodi, I'm Kind of glad I didn't start whittling a spoon from it. I had started on a knife block, but I guess that's a nono.

 

[Jodie]

Spoons might be unwise but I'd think a knifeblock would be OK as I can't imagine
you'd get an awful lot of laburnum on the knife surface in the first place to transfer
sufficiently to the food for ingestion.

Then again I've 'inherited' a mild fear of laburnum as my mum got very agitated
about me clambering all over it. So I'd leave it alone myself

Then again again, you're not actually going to EAT the spoon are you and if you
were you'd probably have to eat a few as it mentions toxicity when consumed in
excess.

 

[British Red]

It'd be fine for a set of knife scales (its been done before), but I'd pass on the spoon tbh
Red

 

[Tantalus]

I dont think it will do you any harm unless you actually eat it , breathe the dust or deliberately sit in its smoke while it is burning.

If you are going to work it into something do it by hand ,( power tools make loads of dust). Dust mask and goggles shouldnt be too much of a problem.

Knife block sounds fine to me, if it worries you fit it out so that only the sides of the knives touch the laburnum and the sharp edge rests on another type of wood.

It is a very pretty wood.

Tant

 

[tinderbox]

Thanks guys. It's good to know I don't have to bin it. It's very bonnie, and it would be a shame not to use it. I'll refrain from burning any more of the waste though, it didn't half stink.

 

[John Fenna]

Laburnum - AKA Oysterwood - is/was widely used in top quality furniture, because of it's glorious grain, and I have heard of no cases of people getting ill from this...
Most poisons like this, it would appear, need you to ingest vast quantities before you notice any ill effects. Eating Laburnum seads or leaves may be a no no but around here the tree is almost a weed, even in animal holding field boundaries, yet I have never heard of stock or farmers being poisoned..... yet.
John

 

[tinderbox]

Thanks John, that's good info. If I ever get the chance of some more I'll season it properly. I'm sure I could make something very satisfying from it.