Hundreds of poisonous plants grow in North America, and many are common. “I defy anyone to tell me they have a pasture with zero poisonous plants,” says Jeffery Hall, DVM, PhD, a toxicologist at Utah State University.
Source: Equus, June 2014.
According to Anthony Knight, BVSc, MRCVS, plant toxicologist from Colorado State University, these 10 plants are those most dangerous to horses in the United States:
- Bracken fern (Pteridum aquilinum)
- Hemlock (Conium maculatum)
- Tansy ragwort (Senecio spp.)
- Johnsongrass/Sudan grass (Sorghum spp.)
- Locoweed (Astragalus spp. or Oxytropis spp.)
- Oleander (Nerium oleander)
- Red maple trees (Acer rubrum)
- Water hemlock (Cicuta spp.)
- Yellow star thistle/Russian knapweed (Centauria spp.)
- Yew (Taxus spp.)
INSIGHTS: The article includes good pictures and geographic ranges for these dangerous plants. Use this information in 4-H or FFA educational events, during events, on websites, in newsletters and blog posts.