Poisonous Plants

1
Poisonous Plants

• Forage Crops 4310
• Lecture 17

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Poisonous Plants

• Plant
• Toxicity
• Symptoms

3
Black Locust

• Shrub or tree, thick bark, and usually has paired
  thorns although thornless varieties have been
  developed
• Flowers are white, showy, and very fragrant
• Pods 10-20 cm long with 4-8 seeds

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Black Locust Toxicity

• Toxin principles include the phytotoxin robinin
  and the glycoside robitin
• Horses may be poisoned by ingesting roots, bark,
  sprouts, seed pods, or trimmings
• Horses are the most susceptible to the effects of
  this plant

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Black Locust Symptoms

• Trembling
• Jerking motions
• Convulsions
• Frothing at mouth
• Move jaws as if chewing

• Vomiting
• Eyes widely dilated
• Temperature is elevated

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Caster Bean or Mole Bean

• Large robust annual in South
• Flowers are green
• Seed are shiny, grayish brown mottled to reddish
  brown, and usually have 3 seeds per capsule

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Caster Bean Toxicity

• The poisonous principle is a phytotoxin called
  ricin
• All parts of the plants are considered
  toxic,especially the seed
• Toxicity is most commonly seen in spring and
  summer
• Horses are the most susceptible of the livestock
  to the poisoning

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Caster Bean Symptoms

• Bloody diarrhea
• Dullness
• Abdominal pain

• Weakness
• Trembling
• Incoordination

9
Cocklebur

• Coarse, widely branching annual
• Flowers are green
• Fruit are spherical, spiny burs, green to
  brownish at maturity

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Cocklebur Toxicity

• The toxic principle is the glycoside
  carboxyotractyloside
• Toxin is concentrated in the seed and seedlings
• Mature plants are distasteful to animals and
  contain less toxin

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Cocklebur Symptoms

• Vomiting
• Gastrointestinal irritation
• Diarrhea

• Spasmodic running movements
• Convulsions

12
Wild Cherry, Wild Black Cherry and Others

• Small to medium size tree sometimes clipped to
  form dense hedges
• Flowers are small and white
• Ripe fruit are dull black and only slightly
  fleshy

13
Black Cherry Toxicity

• The toxic principle is hydrocyanic acid (also
  called prussic acid)
• Present primarily in the wilted leaves of trees
  that have fallen but bark and twigs are also
  toxic
• Poisoning may occur in spring, summer or fall

14
Black Cherry Symptoms

• Difficult breathing
• bloat
• Anxious Expression
• Moaning

• Staggering
• Recumbency
• Convulsions

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Horsenettle

• Perennial
• Flowers are white to purple
• Fruit are green, turning yellow resembling a
  small tomato

16
Horsenettle Toxicity

• The toxic alkaloid solanine has been isolated
  from this
• Toxicity varies depending on maturity,
  environment and portion of plant ingested
• The fruit is the most toxic part (more toxic as
  matures

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Horsenettle Symptoms

• Acute symptoms include
• Irritation of mouth
• Gastrointestinal lesions

• Chronic symptoms include
• Unthriftiness
• Jaundiced mucous membranes
• Abdominal dropsy
• Constipation

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Jimsonweed or Thornapple

• Coarse, foul-smelling annual with green to
  purple-tinged stems
• Flowers are large, white to lavender, and funnel
  in form
• Fruit are spiny capsules with many black shiny
  seeds

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Jimsonweed Toxicity

• The toxic principles are the alkaloids atropine,
  hyoscyamine, and scopolamine
• All parts of plant are poisonous (however seeds
  are particular poisonous)
• This is not usually eaten when other forage is
  available

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Jimsonweed Symptoms

• Weak and rapid pulse
• Weak and rapid heartbeat
• Widely dilated eyes
• Dryness of mouth
• Animals may appear blind

• Slow breathing
• Lowered temperature
• Convulsions
• Coma

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Lantana

• Erect or spreading shrub
• Flowers initially cream, yellow or pink changing
  to orange or scarlet thus resulting in a
  multi-colored appearance
• Fruit greenish blue or black

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Lantana Toxicity

• This ornamental shrub contains lantanin
• All parts of the plant are toxic
• Poisoning may occur year-round (but most common
  in summer and fall)
• Many poisonings occur when clippings are thrown
  in a pasture

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Lantana Symptoms

• Acute symptoms include
• Gastroenteritis
• Bloody and watery feces
• Severe weakness
• Paralysis of the limbs
• Death

• Chronic symptoms include
• Jaundiced mucus membranes
• Photosensitization
• Ulcerations of mucus membranes of the nose and
  oral cavity
• Skin may peel

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Oak

• Bark, leaves but mostly acorn
• Tannins
• Constipation, then bloody diarrhea, poor
  appetite, weakness, excessive urination, death

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Perilla Mint

• Annual
• Common in Tennessee
• Difficult breathing, like serious emphysema
• Animal appears to drown

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Poison Hemlock and Others

• Biennial with hollow spotted stems and has a
  fleshy taproot
• Flowers are white
• Fruit ovoid and prominently ribbed

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Poison Hemlock Toxicity

• The poison hemlock contains coniine, an alkaloid,
  and other compounds
• The stems, leaves and mature fruits are toxic
• Leaves are more dangerous in springtime
• Fruit is more dangerous in the fall

30
Poison Hemlock Symptoms

• Gastrointestinal irritation
• Nervousness
• Trembling
• Staggering

• Coldness of extremities
• Slow heartbeat
• Coma
• Death

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Pokeweed

• Perennial often with many stems that are green to
  purplish in color
• Flowers are white to purplish in color
• Ripe fruit are black, juicy, many seeded and when
  mashed together produces a red ink color

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Pokeweed Toxicity

• The poisonous principles are oxalic acid and a
  saponin called phytolaccotoxin
• In addition, alkaloids may be present
• The root is the most toxic (but all other parts
  have toxin present
• Poisoning occurs during the spring, summer, or
  fall

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Pokeweed Symptoms

• Severe gastroenteritis
• Cramping
• Diarrhea
• Convulsions

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White Snakeroot

• Perennial with fibrous roots
• Flowers are showy, white and blooming late in
  summer or fall

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White Snakeroot Toxicity

• The toxic principle has been identified as
  alcohol called tremetol
• It is found in all parts of the plant
• Animals may be poisoned by consuming the actual
  plant or from ingesting milk from mares that have
  eaten the plant

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White Snakeroot Symptoms

• Trembling
• Stiffness
• Sluggish
• Standing with feet wide apart
• Recumbent

• Slobbering
• Vomiting
• Constipation
• Dribbling of urine
• Breath has ketone odor

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Yew

• Evergreen shrub or small tree
• Needle-type leaves
• Reddish-brown bark
• Reddish or scarlet berries

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Yew Toxicity

• The active principle is the alkaloid taxine
  (occurring primarily in the leaves and to a
  lesser extent in the berries)
• All parts of the yew are poisonous
• 6-8 ounces of leaves can cause death in 1-2 hours

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Yew Symptoms

• Trembling
• Difficulty breathing
• Colicky symptoms
• Staggering

• Muscular incoordination
• Paralysis
• Death

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Other Plants

• Oak
• Buckeye or Horsechestnut
• Black Walnut
• Elderberry
• Tung Oil Tree
• Azaleas
• Ligustrum

• Boxwood
• Buttercup
• Milkweed
• Perilla Mint
• Rhododendron
• Showy Crotalaria
• Yellow Jessamine or Carolina Jessamine

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Other Plants

• Bracken Fern
• Mountain Laurel and other Laurels
• Fetterbush
• Maleberry
• Bladderpod
• Sicklepod
• Sesbania

• Sweet Clover and others
• Scotch Broom
• Chinaberry
• Black Nightshade
• Chinese Tallowtree
• Pigweed
• Eastern Baccharis

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Other Plants

• Sneezeweed
• Poison Ivy/Oak
• Poison Sumac
• Atamasco Lily
• Fly Poison
• Common Yarrow
• Common Buttonbush

• Mustard
• Sweetshrub
• Mexican Pricklepoppy
• Hairy Vetch
• Red Maple