Yellow toadflax-Linaria vulgaris-Poisonous plants

Yellow toadflax

General poisoning notes:

Yellow toadflax (Linaria vulgaris) is an introduced herb that is widely naturalized across Canada. This plant contains several compounds, including glucosides and the cyanogenic glucoside prunasin. The plant is regarded as toxic to livestock in Europe. Cattle generally avoid grazing stands of this plant, but there is more potential for poisoning when the animals are provided with hay that has a high content of yellow toadflax. No definitive records of poisoning are found in the literature. Other members of the genus are found in Canada as well, including the introduced Dalmatian toadflax (Linaria dalmatica). For safety''s sake, hay should not be fed to livestock if it contains a high content of these plants.

Description:

Toadflax is a perennial with erect, smooth, herbaceous stems that are less than 2 feet tall and emerge in clumps from a spreading root system. Soft, gray-green leaves, which are 1 to 1 1/2 inches long and narrow, are crowded onto each stem. Stems terminate with clusters of 15 to 20 snapdragon-like flowers that are about 1 inch long and yellow. Gently pinching the sides of a flower opens its 2 lips revealing an orange throat that acts as a guide for insects to nectar produced in the spur. The plant reproduces by seeds and creeping roots.

Root system - The root system consists of horizontal spreading roots and secondary fibrous roots.

Seedlings & Shoots - Young leaves are pale green with a powdery bloom, especially beneath. First true leaves are egg-shaped and the leaves that follow get progressively longer and more linear. Even in young plants, horizontal creeping roots form at the soil surface.

Stems- Stems are erect, leafy, 1 to 2 feet tall, and either hairless or sparsely hairy at the top. Stems may be branched, especially at the top. Multiple stems emerge from the same root system.

Leaves- Leaves are narrow, linear, soft, gray-green, and less than 1 1/2 inches long. Leaves are so densely crowded on the stem that they appear opposite (2 leaves per node) although they are alternate (1 leaf per node). Leaves taper at the base and attach directly to the stem.

Flowers- Flowers consist of 5 united petals forming a 2-lobed upper lip and a lower lip with 3 lobes that end in a long spur. Petals are yellow with an orange palate on the lower lip. Flowers look snapdragon-like and are about 1 inch long. Flowers are located at the top of stems in dense clusters of between 15 to 20.

Fruits & Seeds - Fruits are egg-shaped, 2-celled capsules filled with many blackish, disk-shaped, winged seeds. When dry, pores at the apex of each capsule open releasing seeds.

Linaria vulgaris Mill.

Nomenclature:

Scientific Name: Linaria vulgaris Mill.

Vernacular name(s): yellow toadflax

Other names: bread-and-butter, brideweed, butter-and-eggs, buttered haycocks, calve's snout, churnstaff, common linaria, common toadflax, continental flower, dead man's bones, devil's flax, devil's flower, devil's head, devil's ribbon, doggies, dragon bushes, eggs-and-bacon, eggs-and-collops, flaxweed, fluellin, gallwort, impudent lawyer, Jacob's ladder, larkspur, lion's mouth, monkey flower, patten and clogs, pedler's basket, rabbit-flower, rabbit's weed, ramstead, ranstead, toad, wild flax, wild snapdragon, wild tobacco, yellow rod, yellow toadflax.

Scientific family name: Scrophulariaceae

Vernacular family name: figwort

Geographic Information:

Alberta, British Columbia, Labrador, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan.

Toxic parts:

Leaves.

Notes on Toxic plant chemicals:

Yellow toadflax contains several chemicals, including the cyanogenic glycoside prunasin. It also contains a glucoside, antirrinoside (Sticher 1974; Conn 1981).

Toxic plant chemicals:

Antirrinoside, prunasin.

Antirrinoside

Prunasin

Chemical diagram(s) are courtesy of Ruth McDiarmid, Biochemistry Technician, Kamloops Range Station, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Kamploops, British Columbia, Canada.

Animals/Human Poisoning:

Note: When an animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993) contained no detailed explanation.

Cattle

General symptoms of poisoning:

Breathing, rapid, cyanosis, dyspnea, paralysis, gait, staggering.

Notes on poisoning:

General symptoms of cyanide poisoning are listed above. These symptoms have not been reported in the literature for ingestion of yellow toadflax. The general symptoms for cyanide poisoning were taken from Kingsbury (1964).

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Yellow sweet-clover-Melilotus officinalis-Poisonous plants

Yellow sweet-clover

General poisoning notes:

Yellow sweet-clover (Melilotus officinalis) is cultivated and naturalized across most of Canada. When cut for feed, molding usually occurs because of the succulent stems. The molds can metabolize coumarin which is hydrolyzed from a plant glycoside. Dicoumarol is produced, which is toxic to animals. See notes under white sweet-clover (Melilotusalba).

Description:

The flowers are in long, narrow racemes. The individual flowers are pea-like and 1/4 inch (7 mm) long. The leaves are green, alternate, and pinnate with 3 elliptic-oblong to egg-shaped, toothed, point-tipped leaflets. The stems are long, slender, and held upright.The similar Annual Yellow Sweetclover (Melilotus indicus) has smaller flowers and leaflets with blunt or indented tips.

Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam.

Nomenclature:

Scientific Name: Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam.

Synonyms: Melilotus alba, M. albus, M. arvensis, M. leucanthus, M. lutea

Vernacular name(s): yellow sweet-clover

Common Names: Yellow Sweetclover, Yellow Sweet Clover, White Sweetclover, White Sweet Clover, Ribbed Melilot, Field Melilot

Scientific family name: Leguminosae

Vernacular family name: pea

Geographic Information:

Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Quebec,Yukon Territory.

Toxic parts:

Leaves, stems.

Notes on Toxic plant chemicals:

A glycoside, melilotoside, hydrolyzes to coumarin. Coumarin is metabolized by molds into dicoumarol, which interrupts vitamin K use in animals. Blood-clotting abilities are affected. See additional notes under white sweet-clover (Melilotusalba).

Toxic plant chemicals:

Dicoumarol, melilotoside.

Chemical diagram(s) are courtesy of Ruth McDiarmid, Biochemistry Technician, Kamloops Range Station, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Kamploops, British Columbia, Canada.

Animals/Human Poisoning:

Note: When an animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993) contained no detailed explanation.

Cattle

General symptoms of poisoning:

Anemia, hemorrhage.

Notes on poisoning:

See notes under white sweet-clover (Melilotusalba). 

Horses

General symptoms of poisoning:

Anemia, hemorrhage.

Notes on poisoning:

See notes under white sweet-clover (Melilotusalba).

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Yellow star-thistle-Centaurea solstitialis-Poisonous plants

Yellow star-thistle

General poisoning notes:

Yellow star-thistle (Centaurea solstitialis) has the same toxic effect on horses as Russian thistle, which is more toxic. Chewing disease becomes incurable once clinical signs are present (Cordy 1987). See the general notes under Russian thistle.

Description:

Centaurea solstitialis is a grayish-green plant with multiple rigid stems that extend in all directions from the base, forming a bushy-looking cluster that can reach 2 metres (6.6 ft) in height and more than that in diameter. It produces bright yellow flowers ringed with long, sharp spines. The plant grows quickly and is very competitive. It bears a taproot that can reach 1 metre (3.3 ft) deep into the soil, allowing it to thrive during dry, hot summers. It is versatile in its growth patterns, and can adapt to drought or low soil moisture content by producing smaller plants with fewer seeds during dry years.

Centaurea solstitialis L.

Nomenclature:

Scientific Name: Centaurea solstitialis L.

Vernacular name(s): yellow star-thistle, golden starthistle, yellow cockspur and St. Barnaby's thistle (or Barnaby thistle)

Scientific family name: Compositae

Vernacular family name: composite

Geographic Information:

Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario.

Toxic parts:

All parts, leaves, stems.

Toxic plant chemicals:

Unknown chemical.

Animals/Human Poisoning:

Note: When an animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993) contained no detailed explanation.

Horses

General symptoms of poisoning:

Death, incoordination, water intake, reduced.

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Yellow sage-Lantana camara-Poisonous plants-Lantadene A & B

Yellow sage

General poisoning notes:

Yellow sage (Lantana camara) is occasionally sold as a houseplant and may also be planted outdoors in the summer in Canada. Children who ingested green berries became ill and died. In warmer parts of the world (e.g., Florida, Australia), the plant grows outside and becomes weedy. Livestock have been poisoned after ingesting the entire plants. Importantly, livestock that ingest berries exhibit symptoms that are different from those of children who ingest the berries. Livestock do not normally encounter this plant in Canada, but the symptoms of poisoning are included under cattle. Sheep and goats have also been poisoned. Care should be taken to keep children as well as family pets away from this plant (Wolfson and Solomons 1964, McLennan and Amos 1989, Spoerke and Smolinske 1990). Cats and dogs that have access to yellow sage indoors can become poisoned if they ingest the immature berries of foliage of this plant. No records were found in the literature of toxicity in pets from yellow sage ingestion.

Description:

Common lantana is a rugged evergreen shrub from the tropics. The species will grow to 6 ft (1.8 m) high and may spread to 8 ft (2.4 m) in width with some varieties able to clamber vinelike up supports to greater heights with the help of support. The leaves are 2-5 in (5-12.7 cm) long by 1-2 in (2.5-5 cm) wide with rounded tooth edges and a textured surface. Stems and leaves are covered with rough hairs and emit an unpleasant aroma when crushed (smells like cat pee). The small flowers are held in clusters (called umbels) that are typically 1-2 in (2.5-5.1 cm) across. In the tropics lantana is a non-stop bloomer. Where it is killed to the ground by frost the lantana blooms in summer and fall. Flower color ranges from white to yellow, orange to red, pink to rose in unlimited combinations, in addition the flowers usually change in color as they age. A lantana may look orange from a distance but the flowerhead is examined at close range it consists of individual white, yellow and red flowers that blend when viewed from afar.

Lantana camara L.

Nomenclature:

Scientific Name: Lantana camara L.

Vernacular name(s): yellow sage

Common Names: lantana, shrub verbena

Scientific family name: Verbenaceae

Vernacular family name: vervain

Geographic Information:

Plant or plant parts used in or around the home.

Notes on Poisonous plant parts:

Ingesting the leaves has caused poisoning in livestock in areas where the plant can survive outdoors, such as Florida and Australia. Young children who ingested the green berries became ill and died (Wolfson and Solomons 1964, McLennan and Amos 1989).

Toxic parts:

Leaves, immature fruit.

Notes on Toxic plant chemicals:

Lantadene A and lantadene B, which are pentacyclic triterpenes, have been suspected as the toxic constituents of yellow sage leaves. However, there are conflicting findings on the chemical toxins and their toxic affects on animals. Sharma et al. (1989) found that crystal polymorphism in the triterpenoids changes the toxicity (polyhedral crystals are toxic to guinea pigs and rod-shaped crystals are not). In addition, the toxic component of the berries has not been defined. The plant also contains a fish poison, lancamarone, that is present in the greatest concentration in the summer. The effects of this chemical on mammals have not been studied (Spoerke and Smolinske 1990).

Toxic plant chemicals:

Lantadene A & B.

Lantadene B

Lantadene A

Animals/Human Poisoning:

Note: When an animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993) contained no detailed explanation.

Cats

Cattle

General symptoms of poisoning:

Appetite, loss of, dehydration, jaundice, urine, yellowish.

Dogs

Goats

Humans

General symptoms of poisoning:

Ataxia, breathing, labored, cyanosis, diarrhea, death, lethargy, liver, congestion of, pupils, pinpoint, pupil dilation, unconsciousness, vomiting, weakness.

Notes on poisoning:

Ingesting the green berries of yellow sage produces the following symptoms: vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, lethargy, cyanosis, slow labored breathing, dilated pupils, ataxia, coma, and depressed deep tendon reflexes. Postmortem findings showed congestion of the lungs and kidneys. The small intestines were dilated. These symptoms all occurred after an unknown quantity of the immature green berries was ingested. The rough texture of the leaves and stems discourages children from ingesting them. Humans have therefore not shown the photosensitivity and liver problems that occur when livestock ingest entire plants. Lavage should be done quickly to reduce or prevent symptoms. Several authors have reported that the ripe berries are nontoxic to humans (Wolfson and Solomons 1964, Spoerke and Smolinske 1990).

Sheep. 

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Yellow rocket-Barbarea vulgaris-Poisonous plants

Yellow rocket

General poisoning notes:

Yellow rocket (Barbarea vulgaris) is a naturalized plant found across much of Canada. This plant poisoned a horse in one unusual case in which the animal ate large quantities of the plant from a wagon that was hauling the weed from a field (Hansen 1930). The symptoms suggested gluocosinolate poisoning, as in Brassica spp.

Description:

Biennials or, rarely, perennials; glabrous throughout or margins ciliate. Stems(1.5-)2-9(-12) dm. Basal leaves: petiole (0.5-)2-10(-17) cm; blade lyrate-pinnatifid, (1-)2-8(-10) cm, lobes 1-3(-5) on each side (rarely early ones undivided), lateral lobes oblong or ovate, 0.3-2(-4) cm × 1-8(-15) mm, sometimes slightly fleshy, margins entire, repand, crenate, or dentate, terminal lobe (ovate or suborbicular), (0.7-)1.5-4.5(-7) cm × (4-)10-30(-50) mm, (surfaces glabrous or margins ciliate). Cauline leaves: blade ovate or suborbicular (undivided), margins usually coarsely dentate, rarely subentire; conspicuously auriculate, auricles ovate or narrowly oblong (to 10 × 5 mm), glabrous. Fruiting pedicels divaricate to ascending or erect, 3-7 mm, terete or subquadrangular, thickened (narrower than fruit). Flowers:sepals 3-4.5(-5) × 1-1.5 mm, lateral pair slightly saccate basally, margins scarious; petals yellow, spatulate or oblanceolate, (5-)6-9(-10) × 1.5-2.5(-3.5) mm, base attenuate, apex rounded; filaments 3-4.5 mm; anthers 0.7-1.2 mm; ovules 18-24(-28) per ovary; gynophore to 0.5 mm. Fruitserect to erect-ascending, rarely appressed to rachis, torulose, terete, somewhat compressed, or 4-angled, (0.7-)1.5-3 cm × 1.2-2 mm; style slender, (1-)1.5-3(-3.5) mm. Seeds dark brown, plump, broadly ovoid to oblong or subglobose, 1.2-1.5 × 1-1.2 mm. 2n = 16.

Barbarea vulgaris R. Br.

Nomenclature:

Scientific Name: Barbarea vulgaris R. Br.

Vernacular name(s): yellow rocket, cress, cressy-greens Cress, yellow-rocket, cressy-greens.

Synonyms: Erysimum barbareaLinnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 660. 1753; Barbarea arcuata (Opiz ex C. Presl) Reichenbach; B. vulgaris var. arcuata (Opiz ex C. Presl) Fries; E. arcuatum Opiz ex C. Presl

Scientific family name: Cruciferae

Vernacular family name: mustard

Geographic Information:

Alberta, British Columbia, Labrador, Manitoba, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory.

Toxic parts:

Stems, leaves.

Animals/Human Poisoning:

Note: When an animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993) contained no detailed explanation.

Horses 

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Yellow lady's-slipper-Cypripedium calceolus-Poisonous plants-Cypripedin

Yellow lady's-slipper

General poisoning notes:

Yellow lady's-slipper (Cypripedium calceolus) is a native perennial wild flower found across Canada. The plant causes a type of dermatitis that resembles the dermatitis caused by poison-ivy (Rhusspp.). See additional information under general notes for Cypripediumacaule.

Description:

Plants 20-45 cm tall, with a somewhat stout rhizome. Stem erect, with glandular hairs, with several sheaths at base and 3 or 4 leaves above middle. Leaf blade elliptic or ovate-elliptic, rarely ovate-lanceolate, 7-16 × 4-7 cm, abaxially sparsely pubescent especially on veins and toward base, minutely ciliate, apex acute or shortly acuminate. Inflorescence terminal, usually 1- or 2-flowered; floral bracts foliaceous, elliptic-lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, 4-6(-10) × 1.5-4 cm; pedicel and ovary ca. 3 cm, with short glandular hairs. Flowers with maroon sepals and petals and yellow lip. Dorsal sepal ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 2.5-5 × 0.8-1.5 cm, abaxial midvein sparsely pubescent, apex acuminate or cuspidate-acuminate; synsepal similar to dorsal sepal, apex shallowly 2-lobed. Petals twisted, linear or linear-lanceolate, 3-5 × 0.4-0.6 cm, pubescent toward adaxial base and on abaxial veins; lip deeply pouched, ellipsoid, 3-4 × 2-3 cm, outside glabrous, inner bottom hairy; incurved lateral lobes 3-4 mm wide. Staminode suboblong-elliptic, 7-10 × 5-7 mm, abaxially carinate, base with a stalk ca. 1 mm, apex obtuse. Fl. Jun-Jul. 2n = 20.

Cypripedium calceolus L.

Nomenclature:

Scientific Name: Cypripedium calceolus L.

Vernacular name(s): yellow lady's-slipper, 杓兰shao lan

Scientific family name: Orchidaceae

Vernacular family name: orchid

Geographic Information:

Alberta, British Columbia, Labrador, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan.

Toxic parts:

Leaves, stems.

Toxic plant chemicals:

Cypripedin.

Animals/Human Poisoning:

Note: When an animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993) contained no detailed explanation.

Humans

General symptoms of poisoning:

Blisters, weeping.

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Yellow iris-Iris pseudacorus-Poisonous plants-Iridin

Yellow iris

General poisoning notes:

Yellow iris (Iris pseudacorus) is a naturalized plant found in wet areas in parts of southern Canada. This plant has poisoned cattle and swine and may cause similar symptoms in humans if the rhizomes are ingested. The plant juices can cause dermatitis in sensitive humans. In British Columbia cattle were poisoned by a cultivated blue-flowered Iris species. The symptoms of that poisoning are described under this species (Bruce 1920, Cooper and Johnson 1984).

Description:

Rhizomes pink, freely branching, producing extensive clumps, 2–3 cm diam., with fibrous remains of old leaves; roots fleshy. Stems usually 1-branched, solid, 7–15 dm. Leaves: basal deciduous, at first erect, then recurved, blade dark green, with prominent median thickening, 4–10 dm × 2–3 cm, slightly glaucous basally; cauline equaling inflorescence unit. Inflorescence units 4–12-flowered; spathes green with brown margins, outer spathe strongly keeled, inner without keel, 6–9 cm, subequal, margins not scarious. Flowers: perianth bright yellow; floral tube 0.6–0.8 cm, with no constriction into ovary; sepals bright yellow or cream colored, lanceolate to ovate or suborbiculate, 5–7.5 × 3–4 cm, base abruptly attenuate, claw ca. 1/2 length of limb, signal a darker yellow basal patch limited by short, brown lines; petals without veining, lanceolate to spatulate, 2–3 cm; ovary triangular in cross section with concave sides and narrow groove at each angle, 1.5 cm; style keeled, 3–4 cm, crests spreading, 1–1.2 cm, laciniate at apex; stigmas rounded with prominent tongue; pedicel 2.5–7 cm. Capsules prismatic to oblong-ovoid, obscurely 3-angled with obvious groove at each angle, 3.5–6 cm, beak 5 mm. Seeds D-shaped, flattened, 6–7 mm, corky, lustrous. 2n = 34.

Iris pseudacorus L.

Nomenclature:

Scientific Name: Iris pseudacorus L.

Vernacular name(s): yellow iris, pale-yellow iris, yellow flag, yellow water iris, fleur-de-lis, iris jaune

Scientific family name: Iridaceae

Vernacular family name: iris

Geographic Information:

British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Ontario, Quebec.

Notes on Poisonous plant parts:

Ingesting the rhizome causes poisoning in animals, and the plant juices cause dermatitis in sensitive individuals (Cooper and Johnson 1984).

Toxic parts:

Plant juices, rhizome

Notes on Toxic plant chemicals:

The toxin in Iris species has not been confirmed, but a glycoside, iridin (or irisin), has been implicated (Cooper and Johnson 1984).

Toxic plant chemicals:

Iridin.

Iridin

Animals/Human Poisoning:

Note: When an animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993) contained no detailed explanation.

Cattle

General symptoms of poisoning:

Abdominal pains, blistering, diarrhea, death, mouth, irritation of, salivation, recumbency.

Notes on poisoning:

Ingesting yellow flag rhizome has apparently caused diarrhea and bloody feces in cattle in Europe. The toxin can survive drying because yellow flag in hay causes diarrhea (Cooper and Johnson 1984).

In a case in British Columbia, cattle ingested rhizomes from an unidentified blue-flowered cultivated Iris species. Three calves showed symptoms and died within 4 days. Initial symptoms included recumbency and excessive salivation. The glands of the head and throat became hard and enlarged. Raised sores appeared on the lips and muzzle, becoming yellowish scabs that irritated animals. Acute abdominal pain occurred, and bloody feces were passed. Death followed. Postmortem findings showed irritation of the lower stomachs and intestines. The kidneys, liver, and spleen were very dark-colored. Unfortunately, the identity of this iris was never determined (Bruce 1920). Livestock should be denied access to any Iris species that grow in the wild or in gardens, because ingestion may cause poisoning.

Humans

General symptoms of poisoning:

Blistering.

Swine

General symptoms of poisoning:

Abortion, diarrhea, death.

Notes on poisoning:

Swine that ingest rhizomes suffer diarrhea; one sow hemorrhaged, aborted, and died (Cooper and Johnson 1984).

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Wormseed mustard-Erysimum cheiranthoides-Poisonous plants

Wormseed mustard

General poisoning notes:

Wormseed mustard (Erysimum cheiranthoides) is a naturalized herb found across Canada in fields and waste places. It contains large quantities of glucosinolates, which release allylisothiocyanate upon hydrolysis. Cattle and swine were poisoned in Canada when feeds were contaminated with sufficient quantities of seed from wormseed mustard plants (Kingsbury 1964, Palechek 1986).

Description:

Herbs annual, (7-)15-100(-150) cm tall. Trichomes primarily 3- or 4-fid, sometimes mixed with 5-fid ones, malpighiaceous trichomes primarily on stem and pedicels. Stems erect, often branched above, ribbed. Basal leaves rosulate, withered by fruiting. Middle and upper cauline leaves shortly petiolate or sessile; leaf blade lanceolate, linear, or elliptic-oblong, (1-)2-7(-11) cm × (2-)5-10(-20) mm, base cuneate, margin subentire or denticulate, rarely sinuate-dentate, apex acute or obtuse. Racemes corymbose, densely flowered, ebracteate, elongated considerably in fruit. Fruiting pedicels divaricate or ascending, 5-13(-16) mm, slender, much narrower than fruit. Sepals oblong, 1.8-3 × 0.5-1 mm, not saccate. Petals yellow, narrowly spatulate, 3-5 × 1.5-2 mm, apex rounded; claw distinct, subequaling sepals. Filaments yellow, 2-3.5 mm; anthers oblong, 0.5-0.7 mm. Ovules (20-)30-55 per ovary. Fruit linear, 4-angled, (1-)1.5-2.5(-4) cm × 1-1.3 mm, somewhat torulose, suberect or divaricate-ascending, straight; valves with a distinct midvein, outside with 3-5-forked trichomes, inside densely pubescent; style slender, 0.5-1.5 mm, cylindric; stigma slightly 2-lobed. Seeds oblong, 1-1.5 × 0.4-0.6 mm. Fl. May-Aug, fr. Jun-Sep. 2n = 16.

Erysimum cheiranthoides L.

Nomenclature:

Scientific Name: Erysimum cheiranthoides L.

Vernacular name(s): wormseed mustard, 小花糖芥,  xiao hua tang jie

Synonyms: Erysimum brevifoliumZ. X. An; E. cheiranthoides var. japonicum H. Boissieu; E. japonicum (H. Boissieu) Makino; E. parviflorum Persoon.

Scientific family name: Cruciferae

Vernacular family name: mustard

Geographic Information:

Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory.

Toxic parts:

Seeds.

Toxic plant chemicals:

Glucosinolates

Glucosinolates

Chemical diagram(s) are courtesy of Ruth McDiarmid, Biochemistry Technician, Kamloops Range Station, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Kamploops, British Columbia, Canada.

Animals/Human Poisoning:

Note: When an animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993) contained no detailed explanation.

Cattle

General symptoms of poisoning:

Colic, depression.

Swine

General symptoms of poisoning:

Death.

Notes on poisoning:

Swine died after ingesting food that contained 1.7% seeds of the plant by weight (Kingsbury 1964).

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Wild radish-Raphanus raphanistrum-Poisonous plants-Glucosinolates

Wild radish

General poisoning notes:

Wild radish (Raphanus raphanistrum) is a naturalized herb found across most of Canada. This plant, like the cultivated radish (Raphanus sativus) contains glucosinolates in the seeds, which can cause poisoning if eaten in sufficient quantities by livestock. Symptoms are similar to those discussed in the general notes under Brassica oleracea.

Description:

Wild radish grows as an annual or biennial plant, with attractive four-petalled flowers 15-20 mm across and varying in colour, usually from white to purple but sometimes light orange to yellow, often with colour shading within a single petal. It is frost hardy, and even hard freezes only temporarily interrupt bloom. It blooms in early spring to late summer with flowers very similar to those of the searocket, which is found in some of the same regions and is easily distinguished from it by having thinner, non-succulent stems and leaves. It has a single taproot which is similar to that of the cultivated radish but less enlarged.

Raphanus raphanistrum L.

Nomenclature:

Scientific Name: Raphanus raphanistrum L.

Vernacular name(s): wild radish

Scientific family name: Cruciferae

Vernacular family name: mustard

Geographic Information:

British Columbia, Labrador, New Brunswick, Ontario Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan.

Toxic parts:

Seeds.

Notes on Toxic plant chemicals:

Glucosinolates are contained in the seeds of this plant. See the discussions on these toxins in general notes under Brassica oleracea.

Toxic plant chemicals:

Glucosinolates.

Glucosinolates

Chemical diagram(s) are courtesy of Ruth McDiarmid, Biochemistry Technician, Kamloops Range Station, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Kamploops, British Columbia, Canada.

Animals/Human Poisoning:

Note: When an animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993) contained no detailed explanation.

Cattle

General symptoms of poisoning:

Hemoglobinuria.

Sheep 

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Wild parsnip-Pastinaca sativa-Poisonous plants-Furocoumarin

Wild parsnip

General poisoning notes:

Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) is a cultivated and a naturalized herb in much of Canada. The plant juices can cause photodermatitis in some individuals after exposure to sunlight. Exposure to leaves, stems, and peeling roots can cause the problem. The edible roots contain enough furocoumarins to be physiologically active in some cases. These toxins are mutagenic (even in the dark) inducing melanization in human skin. Photodermatitis from this plant is often confused with poison-ivy dermatitis (Mitchell and Rook 1979, Ivie et al. 1981).

Description:

Plants stout, 1–1.6 m high. Root yellowish-brown, up to 30 × 10 cm, fleshy becoming fibrous with age. Basal petioles ca. 13 cm, sheathing; leaf blade oblong-ovate, 20–30 × 10–16 cm, pinnate; pinnae oblong to ovate, 5–8 × 2.4–4 cm. Peduncles stout, 5–12 cm; rays 10–30, 3–8(–10) cm, unequal; umbellules ca. 1 cm across, ca. 20-flowered; pedicels 5–10 mm, slender. Petals 1–1.2 × ca. 1 mm. Fruit 5–6 × 4–6 mm. Fl. and fr. Jun–Aug. n = 11.

Pastinaca sativa Linn.

Nomenclature:

Scientific Name: Pastinaca sativaLinn.

Vernacular name(s): wild parsnip

Scientific family name: Apiaceae

Vernacular family name: parsley

Geographic Information:

Alberta, British Columbia, Labrador, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan,, Yukon Territory.

Notes on Poisonous plant parts:

Exposure to the plant juices in the leaves, stems, or roots can result in dermatitis caused by phototoxic furocoumarins. Wetness of the skin accentuates the results. Ingesting large quantities of parsnip root may expose people to sufficient quantities of psoralens to have physiological affects. Parsnips produce much higher concentrations of these toxins in response to disease infection (Mitchell and Rook 1979, Ivie et al. 1981).

Toxic parts:

Roots, plant juices.

Notes on Toxic plant chemicals:

Three furocoumarins (psoralen, xanthotoxin, bergapten) are found in parsnip roots. These chemicals are phototoxic, mutagenic, and photo- carcinogenic. The cumulative concentration is about 40 ppm. Consumption of 0.1 kg of parsnip could expose a person to 4-5 mg of psoralens, a level that may cause some physiological effects. These chemicals are potent photosensitizers and are highly mutagenic in long-wavelength ultraviolet light (Ivie et al. 1981).

Toxic plant chemicals:

Furocoumarin.

Animals/Human Poisoning:

Note: When an animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993) contained no detailed explanation.

Humans

General symptoms of poisoning:

Erythema, blistering.

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Wild onion-Allium canadense-Poisonous plants

Wild onion

General poisoning notes:

Wild onion (Allium canadense) is a native herb found in parts of eastern Canada. This plant can cause gastroenteritis in young children who ingest parts of this plant. Chronic ingestion of the bulbs reduces iodine uptake by the thyroid gland, which can lead to problems. No specific treatment is suggested other than to prevent dehydration (Lampe and McCann 1985). Livestock have also been poisoned by ingesting wild onions, and some have died (Pipal 1918). Horses have developed hemolytic anemia from ingesting wild onion leaves (Scoggan 1989).

Description:

Stems - From a bulb. Bulb covered with a dense network of criss-cross fibers. Fibers tan in color. Bulb to 3cm long, ovoid. Aerial stems to +40cm tall, erect, glabrous, terete, single to multiple from the base, simple. Leaves - Basal, linear, glabrous, to +40cm long, 2-7mm broad, green to pale green, with a broad shallow groove adaxially, sometimes folding at the base, pale green to whitish at the base. Inflorescence - Terminal umbel of zero to many flowers. Sometimes the flowers replaced with reddish bulblets. Sometimes inflorescence a combination of bulblets and flowers, or all flowers. Bulblets sessile. Flowers with pedicels to +4cm long, glabrous, erect. Pedicels much longer than the flowers. Bud of inflorescence covered with a scarious tan bract. Bract persistent at the base of the umbel after anthesis. Flowers- Tepals 6, pink to white, glabrous, oblong-lanceolate, to +/-8mm long, +/-3mm broad. Stamens 6, erect. Filaments pinkish, glabrous, expanded at the base, adnate to the base of the tepals, +/-5mm long. Ovary subglobose, glabrous, 3-locular. Style glabrous, +/-5mm long, pinkish. Ovules 3-4 per locule.

Allium canadense L.

Nomenclature:

Scientific Name: Allium canadense L.

Vernacular name(s): Canada onion, wild garlic, meadow garlic, and Canadian garlic

Scientific family name: Liliaceae

Vernacular family name: lily

Geographic Information:

New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario.

Toxic parts:

Leaves, bulbs.

Notes on Toxic plant chemicals:

The three onion species (Allium spp.) mentioned in this information system contain S-methyl-L-cysteine sulfoxide (SMCO), which is a sulfur- containing alpha-amino acid . The empirical formula is C₄H₉O₃NS. The common garden onion (A. cepa) contains the following:

- 100 mg/kg wet weight of SMCO in the leaves,

- 1600 mg/kg wet weight of SMCO in the bulbs (Benevenga et al. 1989).

Toxic plant chemicals:

S-methyl-L-cysteine sulfoxide (SMCO).

S-methyl-L-cysteine sulfoxide 

Animals/Human Poisoning:

Note: When an animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993) contained no detailed explanation.

Cattle

General symptoms of poisoning:

Breathing, rapid, gastroenteritis, death, heart rate, elevated, Heinz bodies, recumbency, weakness.

Horses

Humans

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Wild mustard-Sinapis arvensis-Poisonous plants-Glucosinolates

Wild mustard

General poisoning notes:

Wild mustard (Sinapis arvensis) is a naturalized herb found in fields and waste places across Canada. Cattle have been poisoned after ingesting hay containing large quantities of wild mustard seed. This plant contains glucosinolates. See the general notes under Brassicaoleracea, which further explain the poisoning potential of plants that contain these chemicals.

Description:

Sinapis arvensis reaches on average 20–80 centimetres (7.9–31 in) of height, but under optimal conditions can exceed one meter. The stems are erect, branched and striated, with coarse spreading hairs especially near the base.

The leaves are petiolate with a length of 1–4 centimetres (0.39–1.6 in). The basal leaves are oblong, oval, lanceolate, lyrate, pinnatifid to dentate, 4–18 centimetres (1.6–7.1 in) long, 2–5 centimetres (0.79–2.0 in) wide. The cauline leaves are much reduced and are short petiolate to sessile but not auriculate-clasping.

The inflorescence is a raceme made up of yellow flowers having four petals. The fruit is a silique 3-5 cm long with a beak 1-2 cm long that is flattened-quadrangular. The valves of the silique are glabrous or rarely bristly, three to five nerved. The seeds are smooth 1-1.5 mm in diameter.

Flowering occurs from May to September. The flowers are pollinated by various bees and flies (entomophily). Sinapis arvensis is the host plant of the caterpillars of some Lepidoptera, such as the Small White (Pieris rapae). It contains chemicals of the class glucosinolates, including sinalbin.

Sinapis arvensis L.

Nomenclature:

Scientific Name: Sinapis arvensis L.

Vernacular name(s): wild mustard

Scientific family name: Cruciferae

Vernacular family name: mustard

Geographic Information:

Alberta, British Columbia, Labrador, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Yukon Territory.

Toxic parts:

Seeds, leaves.

Toxic plant chemicals:

Glucosinolates.

Glucosinolates

Chemical diagram(s) are courtesy of Ruth McDiarmid, Biochemistry Technician, Kamloops Range Station, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Kamploops, British Columbia, Canada.

Animals/Human Poisoning:

Note: When an animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993) contained no detailed explanation.

Cattle

General symptoms of poisoning:

Collapse, ait, staggering, death.

Notes on poisoning:

Cattle have been poisoned in Canada after ingesting hay containing large quantities of wild mustard seed. The cattle first produced excessive saliva, after which they staggered, collapsed, and died (Gwatkin and Moynihan 1943).

Swine

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Wild indigo-Baptisia tinctoria-Poisonous plants (Cytisine, baptisin)

Wild indigo

General poisoning notes:

Wild indigo (Baptisia tinctoria) is a native perennial herb found in southern Ontario. Cheeke and Schull (1985) call the plant toxic but no cases of human poisoning have been reported.

Description:

The multiple bushy stems of Baptisia tinctoria reach 2 to 3 feet tall. The leaves are silver-green; each is divided into three leaflets about ½ inch long. The flowers are yellow and grow in spikes 1½ to 3 inches long.

Baptisia tinctoria (L.) Br.

Nomenclature:

Scientific Name: Baptisia tinctoria (L.) Br.

Vernacular name(s): wild indigo

Scientific family name: Leguminosae

Vernacular family name: pea

Distribution:

Baptisia tinctoria is found throughout the eastern United States, west to Minnesota, and south to Florida. As it is rare in some parts of its range, it is protected by some state authorities: in Kentucky it is threatened; in Maine it is considered endangered. It prefers dry meadow and open woodland environments.

Toxic parts:

All parts, leaves.

Toxic plant chemicals:

Cytisine, baptisin.

Animals/Human Poisoning:

Note: When an animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993) contained no detailed explanation.

Humans

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