Plant library · lemon-verbena
Lemon Verbena
Aloysia triphylla
Toxic to cats and dogs
The strongest lemon scent of any herb, on a shrub that drops every leaf in winter and looks dead until late spring. Keep it dry and unfrozen over winter and be patient.
Toxicity
Toxic Usually mild
Signs, in the ASPCA's words
Stomach upset, colic. No concerns if small amounts used in cooking or as flavoring agent.
Toxic Usually mild
Signs, in the ASPCA's words
Stomach upset, colic. No concerns if small amounts used in cooking or as flavoring agent.
Source — ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, toxic and non-toxic plant list; read from this species' own page
Pet-safety information is a general guide from the ASPCA's toxic-plant database and covers cats and dogs only. "If eaten" summarises the symptoms ASPCA lists for that plant; how an animal actually reacts depends on how much it ate and on the animal. It isn't exhaustive, isn't veterinary advice, and individual animals vary — never rely on it as the sole basis for a decision about your pet. If you think your pet has eaten a harmful plant, contact a vet immediately.
Care
- WaterEvery 5–8 days
- LightDirect sun
- HumidityLow humidity
- Temperature5–30 °C
The same interval the Sabz app schedules reminders from. In autumn and winter the app stretches it; see houseplants in autumn.
Common problems
- Bare stems all winter — normal; it is deciduous and leafs out late
- Leaf drop in autumn — expected, not a fault; ease off watering — Dropping leaves →
- Red spider mite under the leaves in a dry indoor winter — raise humidity
In the app
Add a lemon verbena to Sabz and the watering interval above becomes a reminder, the toxicity verdict sits on the plant's own page, and when a leaf turns, the Check-up reads what you have actually logged to say why.
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