# Sticky  Toxic Plants



## stevenson

gypsum weed. aka loco weed. I cannot attach the pic. grows in a lot of areas. Yew is another plant, Lily and just about any gardening plant . Nut trees. Stone fruits. (apircot peaches , the pit/stone is toxic)


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## walkinthewalk

In my pastures in southern Middle Tennesse:

1. *Johnson Grass *is fatal to cattle after the first frost - it has a cyanide component that activates after the frost.

The photos may not upload but the grass has a thick stem and can grow up to ten feet tall if not kept mowed. 


*Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense)*
Click on images to enlarge









Identify a weed
List of all weeds
Key to weeds in turf
Johnsongrass, a coarse and generally clumping grass, is one of the most troublesome of perennial grasses. It rapidly produces colonies, is very competitive with crop plants, and is especially a problem in California cotton fields. In California, johnsongrass is found in the Central Valley, Cascade Range foothills, Western California, and the Sierra Nevada foothills to about 2600 feet (800 m). It inhabits agricultural land, and other disturbed sites. Johnsongrass hybridizes with grain sorghum (milo). Under certain conditions, the leaves of johnsongrass (and sorghum) can produce toxic amounts of hydrocyanic acid, which can poison livestock when ingested. It is a highly variable species with some regional biotypes.
*Habitat*
Orchards, vineyards, ditchbanks, disturbed sites, roadsides, fields, and agronomic and vegetable crop fields.
*Seedling*
Although it resembles a young corn seedling, a johnsongrass seedling can be distinguished by its football- to egg-shaped, dark reddish-brown to black seed, which remains attached after carefully removing the seedling from soil. The first leaf blade is parallel to the ground. Leaf blades are hairless with smooth edges and have a midvein that is whitish at the base.
*Mature plant*
Mature johnsongrass grows in spreading, leafy tufts with shoots (tillers) sprouting from the base (crown). Stems stand erect, from 6 to 7 feet (1.8–2.1 m) tall, and are unbranched. Leaves are rolled in the bud. The blade is flat, hairless to sparsely hairy, especially near the ligules. Sheathes are open, hairless to sparsely hairy near the collar, and pale green to reddish. The leaf has a prominent whitish midvein, which snaps readily when folded over. Underground stems are thick, fleshy, and segmented. Roots and shoots can sprout from these segments.
*Collar region*
Ligules are membranous and generally have a fringe of hairs at the top. There are no auricles.
*Flowers*
Flowers bloom from May through October. The flower head is large, open, well branched and has an overall pyramid outline. Initially it is green or greenish violet. At maturity it becomes a dark reddish or purplish brown.
*Reproduction*
Reproduces by seed and underground stems.
*Related or similar plants*

Fall panicum, _Panicum dichotomiflorum_

_2. _*Hop Clover *is not toxic and horses generally won’t eat it in the pasture. It grows low to the ground and spreads via a vine method. If it gets baled into hay, the vine becomes coarse/wiry and does not break down. It will colic a horse - something I know first hand.


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## stevenson

*Poisoning *
*(Sudan grass poisoning)*
By
*Barry R. Blakley* 
, DVM, PhD, University of Saskatchewan

Last full review/revision Sep 2013 | Content last modified Sep 2013




Sorghum species are drought-tolerant plants that may produce neuropathic and teratogenic manifestations. Sorghum poisoning has been seen primarily in the southwestern USA and Australia. The syndrome is reported almost exclusively in horses, although a similar disease has been reported in sheep and cattle. Lathyrogenic nitriles such as β-cyanoalanine, cyanogenic glycosides, and nitrates have been suggested as causative agents. The syndrome develops in horses after they have grazed hybrid Sudan pastures for weeks to months and produces axonal degeneration and myelomalacia in the spinal cord and cerebellum. (Also see Cyanide Poisoning.) Consumption of the seed will not produce the syndrome.
Sorghum poisoning is characterized by posterior ataxia or incoordination, cystitis, urinary incontinence (which predisposes both male and female horses to cystitis), and alopecia on the hindlegs due to urine scald. The loss of urinary bladder function is related to degeneration of spinal cord neurons. The incoordination may progress to irreversible flaccid paralysis. Deformities of the fetal musculoskeletal system (ankylosis or arthrogryposis) and abortion may occur during late pregnancy. The diagnosis is based on the analysis of urine for evidence of cystitis, characterization of spinal cord lesions, and analysis of forage for cyanide. Although fatal poisoning is infrequent, the impact on reproduction is the primary concern. Consumption of sorghum hybrids with low cyanogenic potential or restriction of access to sorghum grasses may limit the incidence. Dietary supplementation with sulfur may be beneficial. Affected horses often die from pyelonephritis. Treatment with antibiotics may be helpful, but a full recovery is rare if ataxia has developed. Consumption of pastures containing sorghum plant species is not recommended for horses.


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