Will sheddings from a pohutakawa tree chemically poison a water supply and cause illness if the water is used for drinking. If sheddings do poison water would a domestic water filter be enough to purify it?
Hi Beverley, considering how common pohutukawa shed into water tanks in northern NZ I would be very surprised if this would cause poisoning. If there is illness then I would get the water tested and see what the culprit might be that way.
Pohutukawa leaves release tanins into water which makes it a little acrid to the average palate. But it won't kill you. The flowers are rich in antioxidants and so shen fresh anyway are good for you. I doubt you will get ill from leaves or flowers but if the material rots then yes you might from the bacteria doing the rotting. A water purifier is simply common sense if you are drinking any water that may be contaminated with organic matter.
Do sheddings from a Norfolk Pine chemically poison a water supply (and possibly cause illness)?
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