Japanese maples?

[archerkid]

Hi all,
I live in an area where you literally cannot walk 20 yards without passing a Japanese maple; red, green, or otherwise. I know the red maple is toxic to horses, but I haven't seen anything on the forums or elsewhere explicitly stating that Japanese maple leaves are either toxic or safe/healthy. I'm curious what some of you think.
Thanks,
-Alex

 

[JoesMum]

Maples are all members of the Acer family.

If you look at the Tortoise Table, at best some come out as "feed sparingly" due to the high sugar content and some, eg Red Maple, are "do not feed" as they are toxic.

We have a variety of Japanese Maple (and there are many) in our garden and Joe has never shown any interest in it other than liking to sleep under it in warm weather.

Personally, I wouldn't feed any Acer - it's not worth the risk.

 

[archerkid]

Good to note, I'll leave it alone then. Thanks.

 

[archerkid]

How about blackberry leaves? That's another one that spreads like wildfire up here.

 

[JoesMum]

According to the Tortoise Table, blackberry leaves (aka bramble) may be fed in moderation.

I imagine that they'd only be interested in the very young pale green leaves as the old dark green leaves are pretty tough and thorny

 

[archerkid]

Thanks!
I'll take a look at that table in more depth.

 

[JoesMum]

Here's the link

http://thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plant_database_14.asp