Five-hooked bassia
General poisoning notes:
Five-hooked bassia (Bassia hyssopifolia) is a naturalized herb found in southern parts of western Canada. The plant is suspected of poisoning livestock. James et al. (1976) report experimental poisoning of sheep after they were fed macerated above-ground parts of the plant.
Nomenclature:
Scientific Name: Bassia hyssopifolia (Pall.) Ktze.
Vernacular name(s): five-hooked bassia
Scientific family name: Chenopodiaceae
Vernacular family name: goosefoot
Bassia hyssopifolia (Pall.) Ktze.
Geographic Information
Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan
Toxic parts:
Flowers, leaves
Toxic plant chemicals:
oxalate
Animals/Human Poisoning:
Note: When an animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993) contained no detailed explanation.
Sheep
General symptoms of poisoning:
Coma, death, gait, unsteady, incoordination, tetany, weakness.
Notes on poisoning:
In experimental feeding of sheep, five-hooked bassia caused symptoms similar to poisoning by Kochia scoparia. In addition to the symptoms listed, hemorrhaging on the rumen surface and enlarged kidneys occurred. Calcium concentrations in the serum of five sheep dropped from an average of 10.9 mg/mL to 3.6 mg/mL. Signs of photosensitization were also noted in some of the sheep (James et al. 1976).
