The Ten Most Common Autumn Livestock Poisoning

1
The Ten Most Common Autumn Livestock Poisoning
Plants of Southeast Alabama
Kaleb Dyess and Alvin Diamond Department of
Biological and Environmental Sciences, Troy
University, Troy, AL 36082
Abstract Recognizing commonly occurring poisonous
plants is crucial to livestock survival. Based
upon information obtained from surveys of large
animal veterinarians, herbarium specimens, and a
search of the literature, the ten most common and
widespread species occurring in the autumn in
Southeast Alabama are presented in this study.
Toxic principles, photographs, and county
distributions are provided for each
species. Introduction It is very important to the
survival of livestock to identify and locate
toxic plants that could be consumed resulting in
injury or death of animals. Many poisonous
plants are widespread in the study area and pose
potential hazards to livestock. Methods Letters
were sent to large animal veterinary clinics in
Southeast Alabama requesting information on
livestock poisoning cases and the plant species
responsible. In addition, the literature was
searched for known or potentially poisonous
plants occurring in the study area. We selected
the ten most widespread species in the area for
our study. Distribution data was obtained from
specimens deposited in the herbaria of Troy
University (TROY), The University of Alabama
(UNA), and Auburn University (AUA). Additional
collections were made from each of the twelve
counties in Southeast Alabama during the autumn
of 2008 to supplement this distribution data. All
collections were deposited in the Troy University
herbarium with duplicates send to The University
of Alabama herbarium (UNA). Results and
Discussion Based upon available information these
ten plants occur most if not all of the twelve
counties of Southeast Alabama. These plants can
be found in habitats ranging from sandy creek
bottoms to xeric clay hill tops and are often
found in areas frequented by livestock.
Acknowledgements The authors would like to
thank the landowners and herbarium curators who
made this research project a reality. We also
thank the veterinarians who responded to our
letters of inquiry. Dr. M. Woods is also
acknowledged for allowing the use of the Troy
University Herbarium as a base for this research.
Literature Cited Freeman, John D. and Moore,
Harold D. Livestock-Poisoning Vascular Plants of
Alabama. Auburn Agricultural Experiment Station
Auburn University. Bulletin 460, November 1974.

Campsis radicans Crotolaria spectabilis
Pteridium aquilinum Toxicodendron radicans
Hypericum hypericoides Helenium amarum
Kalmia latifolia Asclepias
tuberosa Solanum carolinense
Phytolacca americana