Red clover
General poisoning notes:
Red clover (Trifolium pratense) is a common clover that is used in both cultivation for forage and food for animals. It is also widely naturalized across Canada. Ingesting of this plant can cause bloat in animals. This plant is also involved in a condition called congenital joint laxity and dwarfism, which occurs sporadically across the northern part of British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario. This disorder results in teratogenic problems in beef calves when their dams have overwintered exclusively on clover and grass silage. Red clover can also develop phytoestrogens, which affect fertility in livestock (Cheeke and Schull 1985, Ribble et al. 1989).
Nomenclature:
Scientific Name: Trifolium pratense L.
Vernacular name(s): red clover
Scientific family name: Leguminosae
Vernacular family name: pea
Geographic Information
Alberta, British Columbia, Labrador, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory.
Toxic parts:
All parts.
Notes on Toxic plant chemicals:
Isoflavones, which are glycosides, can occur in red clover. These chemicals are plant estrogens that can cause infertility problems in livestock (Cheeke and Schull 1985).
Toxic plant chemicals:
isoflavones
Animals/Human Poisoning:
Note: When an animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993) contained no detailed explanation.
