I have always been enamored with Dieffenbachia but have never actually had one. The love affair has to do with their version of calcium oxalate - a whole bunch of microscope needle-shaped crystals . What's not to love about that? I tried to kill my botany teacher in college by switching the lettuce in his sandwich for Dieffenbachia leaves. Luckily, he was a good botanist.
I discovered on my own that taro and its relatives store their calcium oxalate in much the same way (choke choke). Pickle or cook your taro before eating, please!
Thankfully, not all plants store their sugars in this way. Calcium oxalate laced strawberries! Ahhhhhh!
Daisy
