Common plant seriously injuring Australians

The popular yucca plant is sending people to hospital with serious injuries. Photo / Supplied

A common pot plant has been sending Australians to hospital with serious ear injuries.

Yuccas, a common household pot plant in Australia, have been responsible for at least 28 serious ear injuries since August 2012, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

The number of injuries has led the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital to alert people to the problem and urge them to be more careful around the plants.

A study published in the UK journal Clinical Otolaryngology goes into further detail about the injuries.

"You wouldn't think that a little pointy leaf that goes into your ear could possibly cause serious injury [but] it's more like a fencing sword; it's narrow enough to get right down through the ear drum," Professor Stephen O'Leary, one of the experts behind the study, said.

"Most of us were surprised when we started getting these cases through, but then we looked back and thought, hang on, this is happening a lot.

"And it can go really wrong indeed."

The plant has caused a perforated eardrum, and even penetrated the inner ear, causing fluid to leak out - a very serious injury.

"They're virtually impossible to kill. They're tough as billy-o, even the most novice gardener would struggle to kill a yucca," former host of Gardening Australia Stephen Ryan told SMH.

Yuccas are popular because of they are easy to grow.

It is unclear how people are getting injured, but an expert suggests the injuries could be related to people trying to shield their eyes from the plant when moving them around.

The expert suggests people trimming the ends to make them safer.

"But you might want to think about giving it a bit of a haircut – and just think about where those spiky little fronds are pointing."