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Poisonous Plant Series: A discussion of different poisonous plants to goats will be discussed in the newsletter series. The information is designed as a reference, but ultimately the individual goat owner is responsible for information and feeding of poisonous plants. The FNGA and the author are not liable for information presented or used in these articles). By Matt Bray
Buttercup and Anemone (Family: Ranunculaceae (Buttercup))
Habitat : Commonly located in moist woods, meadows, and moist alpine meadows. Blooming : May to July Description: Plants in this family usually have a rosette of basal leaves, with alternate, divided (three part) leaves. Buttercup’s have 5 green sepals and 5 yellow pedals. Flowers are radially symmetrical. Anemone’s lack the sepals found on the Buttercup’s. Plants range from 3” to 12” with large variability in size. Comments: All buttercup’s and anemone’s are poisonous. The degree of toxicity depends on the individual plant. The three plants found in Alaska and identified by Pratt (1989) are the Mountain Buttercup (Ranunculus Eschscholtzii), Western Buttercup (Ranunculus Occidentalis), and Yellow Anemone (Anemone Richardsonii). The primary toxic substance in Buttercup’s and Anemone’s is a protoanemonin glycoside (Kingsbury, 1964). Protoanemonin is unstable, volatile, yellow oil that can cause intense skin irritation, oral or gastrointestinal irritation if consumed. It is commonly thought that upon drying, protoanemonin polymerizes into an innocuous anemonin. The concentration of protoanemonin is the highest during flowering. Young plants can contain 1/6 as much protoanemonin as mature flowering plants. The toxicity of the buttercup’s is considered low since large amounts are rarely ingested by animals due to the poor palatability and caustic nature of the plants. Most animals will not ingest the plants if other forage and browse is available. Poisoning symptoms primarily consist of gastrointestinal irritation including inflamed oral tissues, salvation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and blood stained urine.
References: Kingsbury, J.M. 1964. Poisonous Plants of the United States and Canada . Prentice-Hall, Englewood , New Jersey , 626 p.
Red and White Baneberry (Actaea rubra ) Kingsbury, 1964  Habitat: Moist woods south of Brooks Range
Personal observation of local occurrence : Conversations with local residents indicate that baneberry has been seen in isolated patches within the Fairbanks area. Blooming: Late May to Early June Description: Perrenial that consists of 1 to several stems and ranges from 18” to 30” in height. The plant contains many branches that lead to three to five part toothed leaves which are 2-10 cm in length. Flowers consist of a small cluster of white flowers. The berries consist of a cluster of opaque red of white berries which have indentation crease down one wide and a distinguishing black spot at the end. Looks very similar to currents but can be identified easily by the berries. Comments: Baneberry plants are members of the Buttercup Family. Similar to other plants of the Buttercup family, the toxic component is an essential oil that causes intense gastrointestinal symptoms such as severe cramps, headaches, vomiting, and dizziness. All parts of the plant are poisonous, especially the roots and berries. The ingestion of 6 berries has been known to cause the death of a small child. The affect on goats and other grazing livestock is unknown. References : Kingsbury, J.M. 1964. Poisonous Plants of the United States and Canada . Prentice-Hall, Englewood , New Jersey , 626 p.
Online Sources http://sis.agr.gc.ca/pls/pp/, Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/goatlist.html; Cornell Poisonous Plant Information Database http://www.pprl.usu.edu/Poisonous_Plants.htm; USDA Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory http://www.goatworld.com/health/plants/
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Home | Newsletters | Articles | Goat Products | Events | Links February 17, 2006
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