Lamb's-quarters
General poisoning notes:
Lamb's-quarters (Chenopodium album) is a naturalized annual herb found in disturbed soils across Canada. This plant can cause sickness and death in livestock if large quantities are ingested. The plants can accumulate both nitrates and soluble oxalates. Cattle and sheep have been poisoned. Humans who consume large quantities of the plant and are subsequently exposed to sunlight suffer photosensitization (Whitehead and Moxon 1952, Cooper and Johnson 1984).
Nomenclature:
Scientific Name: Chenopodium album L.
Vernacular name(s): lamb's-quarters
Scientific family name: Chenopodiaceae
Vernacular family name: goosefoot
Chenopodium album L.
Geographic Information
Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Northwest, Territories, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory.
Toxic parts:
Leaves, stems.
Notes on Toxic plant chemicals:
This plant can accumulate high levels of nitrates and oxalates. The high oxalate content is thought to be responsible for most cases of poisoning (Cooper and Johnson 1984).
Toxic plant chemicals:
Nitrate, oxalate.
Animals/Human Poisoning:
Note: When an animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993) contained no detailed explanation.
