A variety of plants are popular for holiday decorating and gift-giving, but a few of them spell bad news to pets.

Surprisingly, the one that generates the most alarm — the poinsettia — is one of the least dangerous of the leafy holiday threats.

Anastasia Zygarowicz, who writes the Leaf and Paw blog, says poinsettias are “overrated in toxicity” when it comes to pets.

“The white sap that they excrete when a leaf breaks off is the only thought to be mildly toxic to both cats and dogs,” she says.

Even then, the effect is mainly mouth irritation and at worst, short-lived vomiting.

The Leaf and Paw blog features a list of what Zygarowicz considers the seven most threatening holiday plants to pets, based on information from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

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