The environment of Australia is highly geographically, climatically, and biologically diverse, and it contains many plants poisonous to animals. Veterinarians should be thoroughly familiar with the poisonous plants in their geographic area and their effects. The Atlas of Living Australia contains images of many of these plants.
The combination of hungry, tired, cold, or stressed animals and a lack of familiarity with the local flora has been a common cause of epizootics of plant poisoning in Australia. The introduction of production animals into geographically different areas should be done with caution and with knowledge of the types of poisonous plants that may be present. Historically, the grazing movement of production animals along Australia's traveling stock routes has been associated with outbreaks of plant poisoning. An important consideration in these situations is the availability of safe, palatable forage. Provision of adequate amounts of safe, palatable feed may decrease the risk of plant poisonings.
Many important poisonous plants in Australia are highly adapted to drought. Often they are the last plants to disappear during the early stages of a drought and are the first to appear after the drought breaks. Likewise, many important poisonous plants in Australia are highly adapted to fire. Fire is often a trigger for germination for many fire adapted plants in Australia. This, combined with hungry animals, increases the risk of outbreaks of plant poisonings. Again, the provision of adequate amounts of safe, palatable feed may decrease the risk.
Important Poisonous Vascular Plants of Australia
Scientific and Common Namesa | Plant Characteristics | Habitat and Distributionb | Affected Animals | Toxic Principle and Effects | Comments and Treatmentc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
*Abrus precatorius Gidee-gidee, rosary pea, precatory bean, jequirity bean, crab's eye, love bean | Perennial vine with pinnately compound leaves without tendrils; sprays of pink pea-type flowers followed by flat curled pods containing red and black seeds (used as jewelry, rosaries, rattles) | Native to India; widespread, sandy soils in tropical Australia (Queensland, Northern Territories, and Western Australia) | Ruminants and dogs less susceptible; horses, humans | Abrin (toxalbumin) causing severe gastroenteritis (sudden onset of vomiting, excess salivation, diarrhea leading to dehydration); gastric juice partially inactivates. Other compounds: indole identification helpful and diagnostic; toxicity similar to ricin | Immature or cracked seeds are the toxic part of the plant. Ingested whole, intact seeds are nontoxic. No effective treatment is known. Immunity possible. Treatment is symptomatic: fluid and electrolyte replacement; activated charcoal in known early exposure cases before clinical signs. |
Acacia georginae Georgina gidyea (Largest genus of flowering plants in Australia) | Shrub or small tree with dark gray, fissured, flaky bark, "leaves" (phyllodes) gray-green and tapered at both ends with parallel veins and clusters of yellow, fluffy globular flowers in the "leaf" forks followed by flat, curved, and coiled seed pods | Arid zone; eastern central Australia | Cattle, sheep, horses, dogs (secondary poisoning) | Fluoroacetate—Seeds > pods > leaves; sudden death (acute heart failure). Dogs scavenging carcasses of poisoned production animals can be poisoned. Foliage has questionable hydrogen cyanide toxicity | Pods and young foliage are most toxic. No effective treatment is known. Restrict/limit exposure to pods bearing plants during dry periods. |
*Adonis microcarpa Pheasant's eye, Adonis | Native to Europe and temperate Asia. Annual herb with highly divided (ferny) leaves and glossy scarlet 5- to 8-petalled flowers | Weed of cultivation in temperate regions | Ruminants, horses, pigs | Cardiac glycosides– adonidin > leaves and flowers > fruits > stems and roots; cardiac arrhythmias, gastroenteritis (diarrhea with blood), dyspnea, sudden death | Seeds and whole plants have caused toxicity. Cardiac glycosides: oral activated charcoal, 5 g/kg with electrolyte replacement solution; treat arrhythmias with atropine and propranolol; horses should receive analgesics/antispasmodics. Symptomatic relief for diarrhea. |
*Ageratina (Eupatorium) adenophora Crofton weed, hemp agrimony | Shrub with numerous upright stems 1–2 m high; leaves opposite and trowel-shaped; white flowers in dense clusters at ends of stems | Native to Central America, naturalized weed of pastures in eastern coastal regions | Horses | Unidentified toxin causes coughing and decreased exercise tolerance progressing to dyspnea from chronic pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis. Heart failure in some cases. | Flowering plants are the most toxic. No effective treatment is known. Prevent access of horses to plant. Good pasture management practices help to decrease losses. |
Agrostis avenacea Blown grass, blow-away grass | Grass, tufted with spreading seedhead | Coastal and inland areas of subtropical and temperate regions | Ruminants, horses | Corynetoxins (tunicaminyluracils produced by Rathayibactertoxicus bacteria in seedhead nematode galls) cause "floodplain staggers," with convulsions and death in most cases. | Corynetoxins: a cyclodextrin toxin binding agent is under development as an antidote. |
Alstonia constricta Bitter bark, quinine tree, Peruvian bark | Tree up to 12 m, frequently suckering to form thickets; corky bark; leaves opposite; milky sap; cream, star-shaped flowers in clusters at ends of branches; long, narrow pods with seeds bearing silky hair tufts | Widespread in coastal and inland southern Queensland and northeastern New South Wales | Ruminants; dogs may be poisoned by meat from poisoned ruminants. | Not clearly identified. Indole alkaloids (alstonine, echitamine alstonidine, and reserpine isolated from leaves, fruits, bark, and roots are suspects); tetanic spasms of skeletal muscles | Leaves and fruit are toxic. Maintain high levels of nutrition Deny further access to plants. Serious cases may benefit from heavy sedation. |
*Ammi majus Bishop's weed, greater ammi, meadow sweet | Annual or biennial herb with upright stems, pinnately compound ferny leaves, and small, white flowers in flat-topped clusters | Native to Mediterranean region, weed of cultivation along roadsides in temperate regions | Ruminants, horses, and poultry | Furanocoumarins in seeds and green plants; primary photosensitization, including corneal edema | Supportive treatment for photosensitization (shade, anti-inflammatory, rehydration). No specific treatment available. Deny further access to plants. |
*Anthoxanthum odoratum Sweet vernal grass | Grass, tufted upright with tapered cylindrical seedhead | Coastal and subcoastal in temperate regions. A weed of pasture. | Cattle | Dihydroxycoumarin produced in moldy hay or silage causes coagulation defects and extensive hemorrhage in affected animals. | Toxin is transported across the placenta and through milk. Treat with vitamin K1 injections. |
Arctotheca calendula Cape weed | Annual herb with leaves in rosette; hairy on lower surfaces; bright yellow, daisy-type flowers with dark centers | Weed of cultivation in southern regions | Ruminants | Nitrates—methemoglobinemia | Toxicity is most likely from rapid large plant intakes. Nitrates: IV methylene blue. |
*Argemone spp A ochroleuca Prickly poppies, Mexican poppies | Upright, thistle-like herbs with variegated, gray-green, deeply divided, spiny leaves; large, pale or deep yellow 4- to 6-petalled flowers followed by seed capsules with small, dark seeds; cut stems exude bright yellow sap | Widespread weeds of cultivation | Poultry, ruminants | Isoquinoline alkaloids cause heart failure with cardiomyopathy, pulmonary and subcutaneous edema. Presence of nitrate in potentially toxic levels, but no reported toxicity. | Seeds are the most toxic part; however, dry plants in hay may be toxic. No effective treatment is known. Seeds crushed and exposed to sunlight are detoxified. |
*Asclepias curassavica Red-head cotton-bush, red cotton | Shrub with upright stems, milky sap, simple-tapered leaves, red and yellow flowers, and tapered seed pods with tufted seeds | Weed of pasture and cultivation in northern regions | Cattle | Cardiac glycosides (cardenolides)—cardiac arrhythmias, diarrhea with blood, dyspnea, sudden death | Cardiac glycosides: oral activated charcoal; treat arrhythmias with atropine and propranolol; horses should receive analgesics/antispasmodics. |
Atalaya hemiglauca Whitewood | Small tree < 6 m high with pale gray, flaky bark with compound leaves consisting of 1–3 pairs of narrow leaflets and cream flowers in bunches at the end of branches, followed by winged fruit | Widespread in the inland regions of mainland states. Soil type loose sand to clay. | Horses | Unidentified toxin. A syndrome of cardiac failure is reported with severe edema of the head, muscle weakness, and myoglobinuria. Hemolytic saponins isolated | Young shoots and fruit are regarded as the toxic parts. Poisoning occurs when the plant is a large portion of the diet. No effective treatment is known. Maintain high nutrition levels of animals. |
*Avena sativa Oats, cultivated oats | Annual or perennial grass, upright | Crop in temperate and subtropical areas | Ruminants, horses | Nitrates—methemoglobinemia. Abrupt weakness, dark-colored blood and mucous membranes are primary clinical signs. Unknown toxin in "rusty" or "red-tipped" fodder oats causes transient hyperesthesia and diarrhea in cattle. Unknown photosensitizing toxin (grazing green forage for several weeks). | Nitrate toxicity is most likely from rapid large plant intakes. Nitrates: IV methylene blue. Hypomagnesemia: ingestion of lush, young growth; pasture management, top dressing with magnesium; supportive treatment for photosensitization (shade, anti-inflammatory, rehydration). |
Boweni spp B serrulata/B spectabilis Byfield "fern," Zamia "fern." (There are two species, both endemic to Queensland, Australia.) | Fern-like plants with groups of leathery, highly divided leaves arising from underground trunks. Sexes are separate, bearing cones at the apex of the plant. | Open forests and rainforests of northeastern Australia; cultivated in gardens | Cattle, sheep, and dogs | Toxicity–hepatotoxic and neurologic effects similar to Cycas. Unidentified neurotoxin (glycosides and amino acid)—permanent spinal cord degeneration with caudal ataxia in cattle ("zamia staggers"). Methylazoxymethanol—liver necrosis | Seeds, stem, and young leaves are the most toxic parts. No effective treatment is known for either syndrome. Supportive care for hepatic condition. |
*Brachiaria spp (B decumbens, B brizantha) Signal grass B mutica Para grass, giant panicum | Grasses, tufted or sprawling | Cultivated tropical pasture grasses | Ruminants, horses | Steroidal saponins—hepatogenous photosensitization in ruminants; calcium oxalate crystals deny calcium to horses producing nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism (lameness, weight loss, jaw swelling) | Supportive treatment for photosensitization (shade, anti-inflammatory, rehydration). No specific treatment available. Calcium oxalate (horses): remove from the pasture and remineralize bones by feeding a mineral supplement with a Ca:P ratio of 2:1 |
Brachyachne spp Native couches B convergena Native couch, Kimberley B ciliaris Hair native couch B tenella Slender native couch | Grasses, sprawling or erect with digitate seed heads | Native pasture grasses of northern inland regions | Ruminants, horses (when other sources of forage are scarce) | Cyanogenic glycosides (highest in young growing plants, lowest in flowering stage)—sudden death | Toxicity is most likely from rapid, large, plant intakes. Cyanogenic glycosides: IV sodium thiosulfate; repeat treatment may be needed for relapse. |
*Brunfelsia spp Francisia, yesterday-today-and-tomorrow | Ornamental shrub with dense foliage and conspicuous broad flowers opening purple and fading to white, followed by brown to black berries | Cultivated garden plant (native to the West Indies) | All, but dogs are most frequently reported | Unidentified toxin (brunfelsamidine a possible suspect) causing vomiting, diarrhea, muscle tremors, and clonic/tonic convulsions (similar to those that occur in strychnine toxicity) | Fruits are toxic. Dogs attracted to ripe fruits will eat large amounts. Symptomatic: treat with an emetic followed by oral activated charcoal with saline cathartic, with an anticonvulsant or anesthetic to treat seizures. |
*Bryophyllum (Kalanchoe) spp B tubiflorum, B daigremontianum Mother-of-millions | Erect, succulent herbs with fleshy leaves (pencil-shaped to broad and lobed depending on species) and showy clusters of hanging tubular flowers with red petals at the top of stems | Native or naturalized weedy garden escape of northeastern regions; prefers shaded habitat on leaf litter | Cattle | Cardiac glycosides (bufadienolides)—cardiac arrhythmias, diarrhea with blood, dyspnea, sudden death | Flowering plants are most toxic and poisoning cases are confined to winter when the plants flower. Cardiac glycosides: oral activated charcoal; treat arrhythmias with atropine and propranolol. |
*Cascabela thevetia (Thevetia peruviana) Yellow oleander | Shrub or small tree; milky sap; tapered, simple, leathery, alternate leaves; bright yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers; fleshy fruit turning black when ripe | Cultivated garden plant; naturalized in some areas | Cattle, horses | Cardiac glycosides (cardenolides) in all parts (kernels of fruits most toxic)—cardiac arrhythmias, gastrointestinal effects, diarrhea with blood, dyspnea, sudden death (similar to Nerium toxicity) | Cardiac glycosides: oral activated charcoal; treat arrhythmias with atropine and propranolol; horses should receive analgesics/antispasmodics. |
Castanospermum australe Black bean | Tree, usually up to 20 m tall, with compound leaves and clusters of red and yellow, pea-type flowers on branches, followed by large seed pods containing large, fleshy, brown seeds | Riverine forest of eastern Australia; sparingly cultivated | Cattle, horses | Unidentified toxin causing GI tract irritation; castanospermine (polyhydroxy alkaloid), a glucosidase inhibitor, is not responsible for poisoning. | Toxicity only occurs with persistent consumption of large numbers of ripe seeds, most likely under drought conditions. No effective treatment is known. |
*Cenchrus ciliaris Buffel grass | Grass, tufted forming tussocks, with crowded seedheads containing numerous bristly spikelets | Naturalized (mainland states) tropical pasture grass; weedy in arid zone | Ruminants, horses | Soluble oxalates—hypocalcemia, nephrosis in ruminants but not horses. Calcium oxalate crystals deny calcium to horses, producing nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism (lameness, weight loss, head swelling). | Ruminants are susceptible only if very hungry and have access to very lush grass. Soluble oxalates: calcium borogluconate injection (prognosis guarded). Calcium oxalate (horses): remove from the pasture and remineralize bones by feeding a mineral supplement with a Ca:P ratio of 2:1 |
*Cestrum parqui Green cestrum | Multistemmed, erect shrub with leaves tapered at both ends and clusters of tubular, yellow flowers at the end of stems, followed by black berries | Cultivated garden plant; naturalized in eastern Australia | Ruminants, horses, pigs, poultry | Diterpenoid (kaurene) glycosides parquin and carboxyparquin cause acute coagulation necrosis of periacinar hepatocytes, with rapid death after hepatoencephalopathy in some cases | No effective treatment is known. |
Cheilanthes sieberi Mulga fern, rock fern | Small, upright fern with dark stems and small leaves. A xerophytic (drought-resistant) fern, often the first green plant available in pasture after drought-breaking rains | Widespread in woodlands of inland and coastal parts of subtropical and temperate regions | Cattle, sheep | Ptaquiloside (see Pteridium esculentum below). Thiaminase (see Marsilea drummondii below). | Ptaquiloside: no effective treatment is known. Thiaminase: IV thiamine (vitamin B1) is effective. |
*Citrullus spp Colocynth, pie melons *Cucumis spp Paddy melons | Vines with yellow flowers and melon-like fruit | Widespread weeds of inland arid regions | Cattle | Uncertain at best. Cucurbitacins—irritation of the upper GI tract and increased permeability of blood vessels producing sudden death with diarrhea | Ripe fruits are the most toxic part of the plants. Poisoning occurs when cattle have access to large quantities. No effective treatment is known. Rumenotomy to remove fruits could be considered. |
*Corchorus olitorius Jute | Erect, annual herb with alternate leaves, each bearing two elongated basal stipules, yellow 5-petalled flowers, dark cylindrical seed pods | Weed of cultivation and pasture in northern Australia | Cattle, horses, pigs | Cardiac glycosides—cardiac arrhythmias, diarrhea with blood, dyspnea, sudden death | Seeds are toxic as contaminants of fed grains. Cardiac glycosides: oral activated charcoal; treat arrhythmias with atropine and propranolol; horses should receive analgesics/antispasmodics. |
Crotalaria spp Rattlepods | Herbs to shrubs with either simple or trifoliate leaves and bright yellow pea-type flowers on spikes, followed by inflated seedpods | Native and naturalized in subtropical and tropical areas; some species are weeds of cultivation and pasture. | Ruminants, horses, pigs | Pyrrolizidine alkaloids—chronic hepatopathy causing weight loss, irritability and compulsive walking (horses) or weight loss and persistent diarrhea with tenesmus (cattle). Rarely, horses may develop pulmonary adenomatosis and severe dyspnea after eating certain species that contain monocrotaline and similar pneumotoxic alkaloids. Pigs develop nephrosis rather than hepatopathy. Unknown toxin(s) in Crotolaria aridicola and Crotolaria medicaginea causes severe esophageal ulceration in horses. | 15 species have been associated with toxicity of animals in Australia. Pigs have been poisoned by Crotalaria retusa seeds contaminating feed grain. No effective treatment for hepatotoxicity. If a stomach tube can be passed in cases of esophageal ulceration, affected horses should recover with symptomatic treatment. |
*Cryptostegia grandiflora Rubber vine | Vine, multistemmed with oval leaves, pink trumpet-shaped flowers, and rigid paired pods | Weed of pasture in northeastern regions | Cattle, horses | Cardiac glycosides (cardenolides)—cardiac arrhythmias, diarrhea with blood, dyspnea, sudden death | Cardiac glycosides: oral activated charcoal; treat arrhythmias with atropine and propranolol; horses should receive analgesics/antispasmodics. |
*Cupressus macrocarpa Monterey cypress | Tree, up to 20 m tall, densely branched with dark green foliage | Cultivated in temperate areas, often as windbreak trees | Cattle | Isocupressic acid and/or vasoactive lipids—abortion/premature birth | No effective treatment is known. Separating production animals from windbreaks by fencing provides effective prevention. |
Cycas spp Zamias, zamia "palm" (27 species endemic to Australia) *Cycas revoluta Sago "palm" | Tree-like plants with trunks surmounted by rosettes of leathery leaves, with numerous leaflets. Sexes are separate. Male cones produced at the apex; female cones divided into separate, leaf-like structures bearing naked seeds on their margins | Open forest and woodlands of northern Australia, mostly coastal to subcoastal; sago "palm" from the Japanese islands is cultivated in gardens | Cattle, dogs | Unidentified neurotoxin causing permanent spinal cord degeneration with caudal ataxia in cattle ("zamia staggers"). Methylazoxymethanol—liver necrosis. Dogs eating seeds of cultivated specimens of Cycas revoluta have been affected. | Seeds and young leaves are the most toxic parts. No effective treatment is known. |
Dactyloctenium radulans Button grass | Grass, spreading from central tuft with spikelets in star-like clusters | Widespread native pasture grass in all mainland states | Cattle, sheep | Nitrates—methemoglobinemia | Dangerous only when growing in heavily fertilized soils such as in stockyards and available to hungry animals. Nitrates: IV methylene blue |
Dendrocnide spp (D moroides, D cordata, D excels, D photinophylla) Stinging trees | Shrubs to trees with broad, heart-shaped leaves bearing numerous stinging hairs with small flowers in bunches, followed by fleshy fruits | Rainforests of northeastern regions | Horses, humans | Moroidin (a bicyclic octapeptide) is thought at least partly responsible for intense and persistent local pain caused by contact with stinging hairs on the leaf surfaces. Horses can be driven to frenzy by contact. Pain in humans can persist for several weeks after contact. | No effective treatment is known. Prompt euthanasia should be considered in affected horses. |
Duboisia hopwoodii Pituri | Shrub, up to 3 m tall, with long, narrow leaves and groups of white, bell-shaped, purple-striped flowers at ends of branches, followed by black berries | Arid regions from central Australia to the western coast | Ruminants, horses, and camels | Nicotine causing incoordination, muscle tremors, dilated pupils (impaired vision), recumbency, clonic seizures, diarrhea. | No effective treatment is known. Affected animals left undisturbed often recover. |
Duboisia myoporoides, D leichhardtii Corkwoods | Small trees with corky bark, simple leaves, and white tubular flowers in bunches at branch ends, followed by black berries | Coastal and inland eastern Australia | Ruminants, horses, and humans | Tropane alkaloids causing dilated pupils (impaired vision), tachycardia, convulsions; paralytic ileus or impaction colic, gastric rupture, and hemorrhagic gastroenteritis are reported in horses. | Physostigmine |
*Echium plantagineum (E lycopis) Patterson's curse, salvation Jane | Annual herb with rosette of broad, hairy leaves and erect flowering stalk, with blue flowers crowded along one side of the curled spikes at end of branches | Weed of cultivation and pasture in southern regions | Cattle, horses, sheep | Pyrrolizidine alkaloids—chronic hepatopathy causing mostly weight loss, irritability, and compulsive walking (horses) or weight loss and persistent diarrhea with tenesmus (cattle) | No effective treatment is known. |
Eremophila maculata Spotted emu bush, native fuchsia, fuchsia bush | Densely branched shrub, 1–2 m tall, with dark green tapered leaves and red tubular flowers with spotted throats carried on S-shaped stalks, followed by round, hard fruits with papery skin | Inland regions of mainland states | Ruminants | Cyanogenic glycosides (prunasin)—sudden death | Young leaves are the most toxic part of the plant. Toxicity is most likely from rapid, large plant intake. Cyanogenic glycosides: IV sodium thiosulfate, repeat for relapses. |
Eremophila (Myoporum) deserti Ellangowan poison bush, turkey bush Myoporum accuminatum Boobialla, strychnine bush | Shrubs or small trees with leaves tapered at both ends and small, white, bell-shaped flowers, hairy inside, followed by purple, black, or yellow berries | Inland regions of mainland states | Ruminants | Furanosesquiterpenes cause acute coagulation necrosis of hepatocytes, with rapid death after hepatoencephalopathy in some cases. Similar toxic manifestations—common to both species, Toxic responses (photosensitization and jaundice) may be delayed for days after ingestion. | Some individual plants are nontoxic. No effective treatment is known. Prevention: plant identification and limited access of production animals to plants. |
Erythrophleum chlorostachys Cooktown ironwood, camel poison, black bean | Tree, up to 15 m, with compound leaves consisting of leaflets with unequal amounts of blade on either side of the midvein, bipinnate; flower spikes with yellow-green flowers, followed by dry, brown, flat seed pods | Open woodland in northern and Western Australia; sandy soils | Ruminants, horses, donkeys, camels | Diterpenoid alkaloids and cinnamic acid derivatives; produce sudden death with effects similar to those of cardiac glycosides. | All parts can be fatally toxic in small doses. Suckers accessible to grazing animals. Dry leaves remain toxic. No effective treatment is known; however, the regimen for cardiac glycosides could be applied, eg, oral activated charcoal; treat arrhythmias with atropine and propranolol; horses should receive analgesics/antispasmodics. |
Eucalyptus cladocalyx Sugar gum | Tree, up to 30 m, with white or yellow-brown, smooth bark, adult leaves strongly different shade of green on upper and lower surfaces (discolorous), rubbed buds, white flowers, and barrel-shaped fruit | Southeastern states; commonly grown as windbreaks | Ruminants | Cyanogenic glycosides (prunasin—loses potency in storage)—sudden death | Young leaves are the most toxic part of the plant. Toxicity is most likely from rapid, large plant intakes. Cyanogenic glycosides: IV sodium thiosulfate. Repeat for relapses. |
Euphorbia spp Spurges | Prostrate to erect succulent herbs with milky sap and unusual inflorescences (cyathiums) | Toxic species occur in inland areas | Ruminants | Irritant toxins of uncertain identity—alimentary tract irritation, diarrhea. Cyanogenic glycosides suspected in some species—sudden death | Toxicoses (other than irritant induced): most likely from rapid large plant intakes are not fully investigated; thus, no known effective treatment. Cyanogenic glycosides: IV sodium thiosulfate. Repeat for relapses. |
Gastrolobium spp Poison bushes | Shrubs, most with opposite leaves or leaves in rosettes around stems, terminal racemes of pea-type flowers with red and yellow or all-red petals, followed by small, hairy seed pods | Most species are concentrated in shrublands or southwestern Australia, with one species in central and northeastern Australia | Ruminants, horses, dogs (secondary poisoning) | Fluoroacetate (leaves, flowers, and seeds)—sudden death. Dogs scavenging carcasses of poisoned production animals can be poisoned. | 34 species are toxic and 8 more are suspected. No effective treatment is known. |
*Glyceria maxima Reed sweet grass | Grass, erect, 90–250 cm high, with an open, branched seedhead | Temperate regions in semiaquatic habitats such as on the margins of water storage dams | Ruminants | Cyanogenic glycosides— sudden death. | Cyanide toxicity is most likely from rapid, large plant intakes, eg, by hungry animals. Cyanogenic glycosides: IV sodium thiosulfate. Repeat treatment may be needed for relapses. |
*Gomphocarpus spp Balloon cotton | Shrub with upright stems, milky sap, simple, tapered leaves, white flowers, and inflated seed pods with tufted seeds | Weed of pasture and cultivation in northern regions | Cattle | Cardiac glycosides—cardiac arrhythmias, diarrhea with blood, dyspnea, sudden death. | Cardiac glycosides: oral activated charcoal; treat arrhythmias with atropine and propranolol; horses should receive analgesics/antispasmodics |
*Heliotropium europaeum Common heliotrope H amplexicaule Blue heliotrope | Annual/perennial herbs with branched stems bearing green to gray-green, simple leaves and flowering stems with white (Heliotropium europaeum) or blue (H amplexicaule) flowers crowded on one side of the curled spikes at the ends of branches | Weeds of cultivation and pasture in southern regions | Cattle, horses, pigs, sheep, poultry | Pyrrolizidine alkaloids—chronic hepatopathy causing mostly weight loss, irritability, and compulsive walking (horses) or weight loss and persistent diarrhea with tenesmus (cattle). | Seeds of Heliotropium heuropaeum contaminating feed wheat have poisoned pigs and poultry. No effective treatment is known. |
Heterodendron oleifolium Boonaree, rosewood, bullock bush | Tree, up to 7 m tall, with dark gray, furrowed, and flaky bark, pale green inconspicuous flowers, followed by rounded fruits | Inland regions of mainland states | Ruminants | Cyanogenic glycosides—sudden death. | The plant is regarded as safe fodder unless fed in large amounts during droughts. Toxicity is most likely from rapid, large plant intake. Cyanogenic glycosides: IV sodium thiosulfate, 660 mg/kg, plus an oral dose (30 g cattle, 5 g sheep). Repeat for relapses. |
*Homeria flaccida One-leaf cape tulip H miniata Two-leaf cape tulip | Herbs growing from underground corms, forming a leaf or leaves and branched flowering stems with 6-petalled, salmon-pink flowers | Naturalized in temperate regions of southern Australia | Ruminants | Cardiac glycosides (bufadienolides)—cardiac arrhythmias, diarrhea with blood, dyspnea, sudden death. | Toxicity has occurred from access in pasture or in hay. Cardiac glycosides: oral activated charcoal; treat arrhythmias with atropine and propranolol; horses should receive analgesics/antispasmodics. |
Hoya australis Wax flower | Vine with fleshy round leaves, milky sap, and bunches of waxy, white flowers | Rocky areas and vine forests ("dry" rainforests) in coastal and subcoastal Queensland and New South Wales | Cattle, sheep | Unidentified neurotoxin (probably a resinoid)—muscle tremors, ataxia, collapse, clonic/tetanic convulsions. | No effective treatment is known. |
Indigofera linnaei Birdsville indigo, 9-leaved indigo | Prostrate herb with compound leaves and tight clusters of scarlet, pea-type flowers followed by hairy seed pods | Widespread in tropical Queensland, Northern Territory, and Western Australia | Horses, dogs (secondary poisoning) | Unknown; Probable nitrotoxin causing lethargy, spinal cord damage, and caudal ataxia in horses. Amino acids indospicine and/or canavanine—arginine antagonists. Indospicine residues in horse meat has caused severe hepatopathy in dogs. | Horses are poisoned when the plant forms a dominant part of pastures in inland areas and is grazed for several weeks. No specific effective treatment is known; however, horses drenched with gelatine in warm water, 450 g/kg for 3 days, improved. Fencing off the plant, heavy grazing by small ruminants, or feeding horses good quality lucerne hay, peanut meal, or cotton seed meal can prevent cases. Arginine-rich feed supplementation might be protective. |
Ipomoea batatus Sweet potato | Vine with arrowhead-shaped leaves and trumpet-shaped, pink flowers | Cultivated crop | Ruminants | Pneumotoxic furanoterpenes (3-substituted furans)—severe dyspnea from interstitial pneumonia and edema. | Only moldy tubers are toxic. Removal of moldy tubers from the feed results in recovery in most affected animals. |
Ipomoea muelleri Poison morning glory | Vine with arrowhead-shaped leaves and trumpet-shaped, pink flowers | Central and northwestern regions | Ruminants, horses | Unknown toxin, probably calystegines—incoordination, nervous derangement. | No effective treatment is known. |
Ipomea calobra Weir vine, calobra vine | Vine with arrowhead-shaped leaves and trumpet-shaped, pink flowers | Localized to clay soils of Maranoa district, Queensland | Ruminants, horses | Calystegines, swainsonine—acquired lysosomal storage of mannose leading to incoordination, nervous derangement, weight loss, polyuria. | Animals are reputed to develop a craving for the plants. Toxicity requires access for 4 weeks or more. No effective treatment is known. Less severely affected animals recover if access is prevented. |
Isotropis spp Lamb poisons, granny bonnets, poison sage, bloom poison Closely related to Gastrolobium and Oxylobium genera (fluoroacetate-containing plants) | Shrubs or herbs with pea-type flowers with conspicuous radiating branched lines on the back of the large, erect, standard petal; flowers are purple, yellow, or orange | Most species confined to southwestern Australia, with one in central Australia | Ruminants | Unknown. Iforrestine (heterocyclic alkaloid)—nephrosis. | No effective treatment is known. |
*Jatropha spp | Shrubs and small trees with inconspicuous or bright red flowers and seed pods | Cultivated garden plants, some species are naturalized and weedy in northern Australia | Ruminants, horses | Irritant toxins of uncertain identity—alimentary tract irritation, diarrhea. | No effective treatment is known. |
*Lamium amplexicaule Dead nettle | Erect herb up to 30 cm tall, with opposite, rounded, lobed leaves on square stems and tubular, pinkish flowers subtended by cup-shaped leaves around the stem | Widespread weed of cultivation | Ruminants, horses | Unidentified toxin causing incoordination. | Removal from access to plants results in recovery in most cases. |
Leiocarpa (Ixiolaena) brevicompta Flat billy buttons, button weed, plains plover daisy | Low-growing shrub up to ~30 cm tall, with numerous flat-topped, dense, yellow flower heads | Heavy clay soils of the floodplains of the Darling river system in Queensland and New South Wales | Sheep | Unknown. Crepenynic acid and other fatty acids cause striated muscle degeneration, severely decreased exercise tolerance, muscle weakness, and recumbency. | Toxicity is from eating mature seedheads in quantity. No effective treatment is known. Affected sheep recover in some cases. |
Lepidozamia spp Zamias (There are two species, both endemic to Australia, one commonly cultivated in gardens) | Tree-like plants with trunks surmounted by rosettes of leaves with numerous leaflets. Sexes are separate, bearing cones at the apex of the plant. | Open forests and rainforests of northeastern Australia; cultivated in gardens | Cattle | Unidentified neurotoxin—permanent spinal cord degeneration with caudal ataxia in cattle (zamia staggers). Methylazoxymethanol—liver necrosis | Seeds and young leaves are the most toxic parts. No effective treatment is known. |
*Leucaena leucocephala Lead tree | Shrub to small tree with bipinnate (fern-like) leaves, pale yellow globular flowers, followed by long, flat, brown seed pods | Native to Central America. Cultivated and naturalized browse shrub in tropical regions; weedy in some situations | Ruminants, horses | Mimosine and derivatives in young leaves and seeds—hair loss (ruminants, horses); goiter, cataracts, and buccal erosions (ruminants) | No effective treatment is known. Ruminal bacterium (Synergistes jonesii) detoxifies mimosine and derivatives. Detoxification capacity is retained as long as mimosine is in the diet, the bacteria surviving up to 9 months after access stops. Ferrous sulfate supplementation may help monogastric animals. |
*Lolium perenne | Grass, tufted with flattened, flowering spike with spikelets arranged in a zig-zag pattern | Cultivated temperate pasture grass | Ruminants | Lolitrems (tremorgenic mycotoxins from the endophytic fungus Neotyphodium lolii cause perennial ryegrass staggers (muscle tremor, head bobbing/weaving, stiff high-stepping gait, collapse, recovery if undisturbed). Nitrates—methemoglobinemia. | Lolitrems are concentrated in leaf sheaths, making toxicity most likely on well-cropped pasture. No effective treatment available. Nitrates: IV methylene blue. |
*Lolium rigidum | Grass, tufted with flattened, flowering spike, with spikelets arranged in a zigzag pattern | Cultivated temperate pasture grass; naturalized weed in southern Australia | Ruminants, horses | Corynetoxins (tunicaminyluracils produced by Rathayibacter toxicus bacteria in seedhead nematode galls) cause annual ryegrass toxicity with convulsions and death in most cases. Ergot alkaloids when seeds infested by Claviceps purpurea (rye ergot) cause agalactia and hyperthermia in pigs and cattle fed grain contaminated with ergot bodies. | Corynetoxins: a cyclodextrin toxin binding agent is under development as an antidote. Ergot alkaloids: dopamine antagonists may be helpful, domperidone, metaclopromide, reserpine. |
Lotus spp Birdsfoot trefoils | Herbs with compound leaves consisting of five leaflets, three at the tip and two at the base, and pea-type flowers with red, yellow, pale pink, or white petals | Subtropical and temperate regions in all states | Ruminants | Cyanogenic glycoside—sudden death | Toxicity is most likely from rapid, large plant intake. Cyanogenic glycosides: IV sodium thiosulfate. Repeat for relapses. |
*Lupinus spp | Robust herbs with compound leaves with radiating leaflets and flower spikes crowded with pea-type yellow, white, or blue flowers, followed by hairy seed pods | Cultivated grain crops in southern regions | Ruminants | Phomopsins produced by the fungus Diaporthe toxica growing in dead plants—chronic hepatopathy causing weight loss and jaundice with photosensitization in some cases and myopathy in others. | Most toxicity occurs if dry lupine stubble is grazed after grain harvest. No effective treatment is known. Selenium/vitamin E may help myopathy cases. Immunization against phomopsins is being developed as a control measure. |
*Lythrum hyssopifolia Lesser loosestrife | Herb with ribbed stems and simple, small leaves with single pink to purple, tubular flowers in leaf axils | Weed of pasture in temperate areas | Sheep | Unidentified toxin causing renal tubular and hepatocyte necrosis | Poisoning commonly occurs when sheep graze on crop stubbles in which the plant is dominant. No effective treatment is known. |
Macadamia spp | Trees with oblong leaves carrying a few marginal spines, and hanging sprays of cream flowers, followed by a globular fruit containing a hard, brown nut | Cultivated tree; nuts harvested as food | Dogs | Unidentified toxin; produces muscular weakness and joint pain | Both fresh and roasted kernels are potentially toxic. Clinical signs are transient with recovery occurring within 24 hours, with or without symptomatic treatment. |
Macrozamia spp Zamias, burrawang, zamia "palm" (There are ~40 species, all endemic to Australia) | Tree-like plants with trunks surmounted by rosettes of leathery leaves with numerous leaflets. Small species have no trunks. Sexes are separate, bearing cones at the apex of the plant. | Open forests and woodlands of southern and central Australia; some cultivated in gardens | Cattle, sheep (rare), dogs | Unidentified neurotoxin—permanent spinal cord degeneration with caudal ataxia in cattle (zamia staggers). Methylazoxymethanol—animals eating seeds of cultivated specimens of Macrozamia riedlei have been affected. | Seeds and young leaves are the most toxic parts. No effective treatment is known. |
*Malva parviflora Marsh or small flowered mallow | Herb with rounded, seven-lobed, pleated leaves on stalks and with white to very pale pink or lavender flowers in clusters in the leaf forks, followed by button-shaped fruit | Widespread weed of cultivation | Ruminants, poultry | Unidentified toxin causing skeletal muscle necrosis. Nitrates—methemoglobinemia. Malvic acid causes pink discoloration of egg whites and pasty yolks from hens eating seeds (or leaves). | Toxicity is most likely from rapid, large plant intake. Nitrates: IV methylene blue. |
Marsilea drummondii Common nardoo | Aquatic fern; fronds with four leaflets; spores in hairy capsules at ground level | Widespread on floodplains in inland regions of eastern states and in coastal subtropical western Australia | Sheep, horses | Thiaminase—polioencephalomalacia in sheep; "bracken staggers" in horses. | The plant contains 100 times more thiaminase than bracken. Poisoning occurs when stock graze dried floodplains dominated by nardoo. IV thiamine (vitamin B1) is effective in many cases. |
*Medicago spp Medics, lucerne | Herbs with trifoliate leaves and small, yellow or bluish, pea-type flowers, followed by twisted seed pods | Subtropical and temperate regions in all states | Ruminants | Unidentified photosensitizing toxin. Phytoestrogens—infertility (rare). | No effective treatment is known. |
Melia azedarach australasica (M dubia) White cedar, chinaberry | Deciduous tree with bipinnate compound leaves, sprays of lilac flowers, followed by clusters of oval, dull yellow fruits becoming brown, fleshy, and indented when ripe (drupes) | Native to tropical and subtropical rainforest; cultivated garden plant, street and shade tree | Pigs | Tetranortriterpenes (triterpene; epoxide meliatoxins) cause severe gastroenteritis (low dose); neurologic effects (high dose). | Fruits (drupes) and flowers are most toxic parts implicated. Estimated toxic dose for pigs is 200g; 800g for sheep/goats. Some individual trees are nontoxic. No effective treatment is known. |
*Mesembryanthemum spp Ice plants | Succulent prostrate herbs | Cultivated in gardens; naturalized in southwestern Australia | Ruminants | Soluble oxalates— hypocalcemia, nephrosis. | Toxicity is most likely from rapid, large plant intake, eg, by hungry animals. Soluble oxalates: calcium borogluconate injection (prognosis guarded). |
Morinda reticulata Mapoon, adaa (Aboriginal names not commonly known) | Shrub with stems either self-supporting or scrambling over adjacent plants, with leathery, opposite-paired leaves and groups of small flowers with a prominent, large, white, leaf-like bract immediately below | Open woodland of Cape York peninsula | Horses | Selenium as selenoamino acids—hair loss from mane and tail, lameness with cracking and shedding of hooves in severe cases. | Edible young shoots after spring under-forest burn. No effective treatment is known. Supplement feeding for horses, thereby reducing plant intake. |
Neobassia proceriflora Soda bush | Annual, upright, many-branched, small shrub with red-striped stems and short, blue-green, succulent leaves | Inland areas of eastern and central states | Ruminants | Soluble oxalates—hypocalcemia, nephrosis. | Toxicity is most likely from rapid, large plant intake. Soluble oxalates: calcium borogluconate injection (prognosis guarded). |
Neptunia amplexicaulis Selenium weed | Prostrate herb with compound leaves, with a leaf-like, heart-shaped stipule at the junction of leaf stalk and stem and with small, yellow, globular flowers on stiff stalks, followed by clusters of dark-brown seed pods | Native to Richmond-Hughenden area of northern Queensland (seleniferous soils) | Horses, ruminants (rare) | Selenium as selenoamino acids—hair loss from mane and tail; lameness, with cracking and shedding of hooves in severe cases. | No effective treatment is known. High soil selenium indicator plant. |
Nicotiana spp Native tobaccos (Nicotiana suaveolens) 21 species (19 native; 2 naturalized) | Erect, annual herbs with soft, dull, green leaves and tall flower spikes with tubular white/cream or pale green flowers, followed by thin-walled pods | Mostly inland regions of all mainland states | Ruminants | Pyridine alkaloids; nicotine causing incoordination, muscle tremors, dilated pupils (impaired vision), recumbency, clonic seizures, diarrhea, and anabasine (a teratogen). | Similar toxic clinical responses among species. No effective treatment is known. Affected animals left undisturbed often recover. |
*Oxalis pes-caprae (O cernua) Soursob | Perennial prostrate herb with trifoliate spotted leaves and clusters of bright yellow, tubular, five-petalled flowers on stalks | Widespread weed of pasture and cultivation in temperate areas | Ruminants | Soluble oxalates—hypocalcemia, nephrosis. Longterm intake causes chronic nephrosis and kidney failure. | Toxicity is most likely from rapid, large plant intake. Soluble oxalates: calcium borogluconate injection (prognosis guarded). No effective treatment is known for chronic toxicity. |
Panicum spp (There are ~30 native and ~10 introduced species in Australia) | Grasses, tufted with open seed heads, with spikelets attached on individual stalks | Native and naturalized pasture grasses, tropical to temperate regions | Ruminants, horses | Steroidal saponins cause hepatogenous photosensitization in ruminants. Calcium oxalate crystals deny calcium to horses, producing nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism (lameness, weight loss, jaw swelling). | Supportive treatment for photosensitization (shade, anti-inflammatory, rehydration). No specific treatment available. Calcium oxalate (horses)—remove from the pasture and remineralize bones by feeding a mineral supplement with a Ca:P ratio of 2:1. |
Grasses, tufted with erect branched seedhead | Cultivated tropical to subtropical pasture grass | Ruminants, horses | Paspalitrems from Claviceps paspali ergots in seedheads—muscular tremors and incoordination. | The clinical syndrome is reversible if affected animals are removed from ergotized pasture. | |
*Pennisetum clandestinum Kikuyu grass | Grass, creeping, forming a dense sward and with very inconspicuous flowers/seeds | Cultivated tropical to subtropical pasture grass | Ruminants, horses, pigs | Unidentified toxin causes upper alimentary tract distension and irritation and nephrosis ("kikuyu poisoning") in ruminants. Soluble oxalate—calcium oxalate crystals deny calcium to horses, producing nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism (lameness, weight loss, jaw swelling). Nitrate—variable concentrations, methemoglobinemia. | "Kikuyu poisoning"; predisposing factors are poorly understood, but believed to be stressors such as drought and insect attack. No effective treatment is known. There is a high case fatality rate. Calcium oxalate (horses): remove from the pasture and remineralize bones by feeding a mineral supplement with a Ca:P ratio of 2:1. |
*Persicaria spp Polygonum spp Smart weeds (16 species reported in Australia) | Herbs with soft leaves and tubular stipules clasping the stem where leaves join; spikes or pink flowers | Weeds of waterway and reservoir margins in eastern states | Ruminants | Unidentified toxin causing photosensitization. | Supportive treatment for photosensitization (shade, anti-inflammatory, rehydration). No specific treatment available. Deny further access to plants. |
*Phalaris aquatica (P tuberosa) Australian phalaris, Toowoomba canary grass | Grass, clumped with a compact cylindrical seedhead | Cultivated temperate pasture grass | Ruminants | Indole alkaloids causing "phalaris staggers," with hyperexcitability, muscle tremors, and paresis. | No specific effective treatment is available. Prevent by dosing with slow-release cobalt preparations (cobalt bullets) before grazing. |
Pimelea trichostachya, P simplex, P elongata Flaxweeds | Upright annual herbs with opposite leaves on multiple branches, each ending in a flower spike carrying numerous, flask-shaped, green or yellow-green flowers; hairy to different extents depending on species | In dense populations in disturbed habitats in inland northeastern regions | Cattle | Simplexin (irritant diterpenoid) causes a unique syndrome in cattle only consisting of chronic right-side heart failure, anemia, and persistent diarrhea. If other animal species are forced to eat the plants (a very rare occurrence), only diarrhea occurs. | Plants are very unpalatable. Ingestion normally occurs after the plants die and their fragments contaminate other pasture components. Poisoning cases are most likely after above-average winter rains promote dense growth of the plants and then below-average rains in the following summer allow dry plant fragments to remain on pasture. No effective treatment is known. |
Polypogon monspeliensis Annual beard grass | Grass, tufted with compact cylindrical seedheads | Coastal and inland areas of subtropical and temperate regions; seasonally flooded areas | Ruminants, horses | Corynetoxins (tunicaminyluracils produced by Rathayibacter toxicus bacteria in seedhead nematode galls) cause "Stewart range syndrome" with convulsions and death in most cases. | Corynetoxins: a cyclodextrin toxin binding agent is under development as an antidote. |
Portulaca oleracea Pigweed, nland pigweed, munyeroo | Prostrate succulent herb with thick-branched brown or red stems and wedge-shaped leaves and yellow flowers | Widespread native weed of cultivation and disturbed habitats, including stockyards | Ruminants | Soluble oxalates— hypocalcemia, nephrosis. Nitrates—methemoglobinemia. Cyanogenitic glycosides—identified, toxicity not established. | Most poisonings are of hungry animals with access to lush plants in stockyards. Soluble oxalates: calcium borogluconate injection (prognosis guarded). Nitrates: IV methylene blue. |
Pteridium esculentum Austral bracken | Perennial, robust, large fern; rhizomes, simple fronds, each with many narrow subdivisions, glossy (upper) paler (under) surfaces with recurved brown spore-bearing margins | Coastal and subcoastal regions; native to open forests; weed of pasture | Cattle, horses | Ptaquiloside—thrombocytopenia and neutropenia resulting in widespread hemorrhage and terminal septicemia; chronic intake (> 2 years) is associated with urinary bladder neoplasia and chronic hematuria in cattle (rarely in sheep). Unidentified bone marrow toxin— prunasin— cyanide toxicity; Thiaminase—"bracken staggers" (ataxia and cardiac dysfunction) in horses (rare). | Young fronds are the most toxic part of the plant. Toxin retained on drying. Toxicity on chronic exposure. Ptaquiloside: no effective treatment is known. "Bracken staggers" of horses: IV thiamine (vitamin B1). |
*Raphanus raphanistrum Wild radish | Herb with coarse rosette of leaves at ground level and branched flowering stems with four-petalled, white, yellow, or pink flowers | Widespread weed of cultivation in temperate areas | Ruminants | Unknown, possible S-methylcysteine sulfoxide (SMCO)—hemolysis. | SMCO: no effective treatment is known. |
*Rapistrum rugosum Turnip weed | Herb with coarse rosette of leaves at ground level and branched flowering stems with four-petalled yellow flowers | Widespread weed of cultivation | Ruminants | SMCO—hemolysis. Probably sulfur—polioencephalomalacia. | SMCO: no effective treatment is known. Polioencephalomalacia: thiamine may not be effective. |
Rhodomyrtus macrocarpa Finger cherry, native loquat, wannakai | Shrub or small tree with opposite broad leaves carrying oil glands, white five-petalled flowers, followed by fleshy cylindrical globular to oblong red fruit | Rainforests of northeastern Queensland | Ruminants, humans | Unidentified toxin causes permanent blindness from optic nerve degeneration. Rhodomyrtoxin, a benzofuran compound, and saponin have been isolated; toxicity of either not demonstrated. | Leaves and fruits have poisoned ruminants; fruits poison humans. No effective treatment is known. |
*Rumex spp Docks *Acetosella vulgaris Sheep sorrel | Herbs with rosettes of broad leaves and tall branched flowering stems carrying green to red flowers and seed pods | Weeds of temperate pasture mostly in southeastern states | Ruminants | Soluble oxalates—hypocalcemia, nephrosis. | Toxicity is most likely from rapid, large plant intake. Soluble oxalates: calcium borogluconate injection (prognosis guarded). |
Salsola kali Soft roly-poly buck bush, Russian thistle | Annual upright herb with gray-green succulent leaves and dry fruits with a circular, papery wing | Widespread weed of all mainland states | Ruminants | Soluble oxalates—hypocalcemia, nephrosis. | Toxicity is most likely from rapid, large plant intake. Soluble oxalates: calcium borogluconate injection (prognosis guarded). |
*Salvia reflexa Mint weed wild mint | Erect herb with square stems and blue-green leaves with felty hairs and pale blue tubular flowers in opposite pairs along stems | Widespread weed in inland Queensland and New South Wales | Ruminants | Nitrates—methemoglobinemia. | Toxicity is most likely from rapid, large plant intake. Plants contaminating hay can cause poisoning. Nitrates: IV methylene blue. |
Sarcostemma australe Caustic vine, caustic bush, pencil caustic | Leafless gray-green succulent shrub or scrambling vine with small bunches of waxy white flowers and long pods with milky sap | Widespread in northern areas, both coastal and inland | Cattle, sheep, horses | Unidentified neurotoxin, suspected to be similar to cynanchoside—collapse, clonic convulsions. | No effective treatment is known. |
Schoenus asperocarpus Poison sedge | Grass-like tussock of thin leaves with flower spikes extending above the leaves and bearing flowers (spikelets) in a zigzag arrangement surrounded by broad, brown, square-tipped bracts | Southwestern Australia | Ruminants | Unknown. Galegine—acute pulmonary edema. | No effective treatment is known. Most toxic after rain or burning, restrict exposure during such times. |
*Senecio jacobaea Ragwort | Erect herb with finely divided leaves and bright yellow, daisy-type flowers in clusters at the top of the plant | Weed of pasture and cultivation in southern regions | Cattle, horses | Probably Pyrrolizidine alkaloids—chronic hepatopathy causing mostly weight loss, irritability, and compulsive walking (horses) or weight loss and persistent diarrhea with tenesmus (cattle). | No effective treatment is known. |
Senecio linearifolius Fireweed | Erect shrub with long, pointed leaves and flower heads in bunches resembling those of ragwort | Coastal and subcoastal New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania | Cattle, horses | Probably pyrrolizidine alkaloids—chronic hepatopathy causing mostly weight loss, irritability (horses), or weight loss and persistent diarrhea with tenesmus (cattle). | No effective treatment is known. |
Senecio lautus Fireweed, variable groundsel | Erect herb with leaves either simple or with dissected edges and clusters of yellow, daisy-type flowers | Widespread south of 20°S latitude on heavy clay soils | Cattle, horses | Pyrrolizidine alkaloids—chronic hepatopathy causing mostly weight loss, irritability, and compulsive walking (horses) or weight loss and persistent diarrhea with tenesmus (cattle). | No effective treatment is known. |
*Senecio madagascariensis Fireweed | Very similar to Senecio lautus and distinguished by 20-21 bracts under the flower head compared with 11-14 in Senecio lautus | Naturalized in eastern coastal subtropical and temperate regions | Cattle, horses | Pyrrolizidine alkaloids—chronic hepatopathy causing mostly weight loss, irritability, and compulsive walking (horses) or weight loss and persistent diarrhea with tenesmus (cattle). | No effective treatment is known. |
Senecio quadridentatus (Erechtites quadridentata) Cotton fireweed | Erect herb with narrow leaves covered in cottony hair and with bunches of small, slender flower heads at the top of the stems | Weed of pasture and cultivation in southeastern regions | Cattle, horses | Pyrrolizidine alkaloids—chronic hepatopathy causing mostly weight loss, irritability, and compulsive walking (horses) or weight loss and persistent diarrhea with tenesmus (cattle) | No effective treatment is known. |
*Senna occidentalis Coffee senna *S obtusifolia Sickle pod | Small shrubs with compound leaves and clusters of open yellow flowers and flat, long or curved seed pods | Naturalized in northern coastal and subcoastal Australia | Ruminants | Unidentified toxin causing striated muscle degeneration and necrosis with myoglobinuria. | Seeds and seed pods are the most toxic. No effective treatment is known. |
*Setaria anceps (S trinervia, S sphacelata) Setaria | Grass, tall, tufted with a long, compact cylindrical seedhead | Cultivated tropical pasture grass | Ruminants, horses | Soluble oxalates—hypocalcemia, nephrosis in ruminants, very rarely horses. Calcium oxalate crystals deny calcium to horses, producing nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism (lameness, weight loss, head swelling). | Toxicity from soluble oxalates is most likely from rapid, large plant intake. Soluble oxalates: calcium borogluconate injection (prognosis guarded). Calcium oxalate (horses): remove from the pasture and remineralize bones by feeding a mineral supplement with a Ca:P ratio of 2:1. |
*Silybum marianum Variegated thistle, milk thistle | Annual/biennial herb with broad green and white leaves edged with small, yellow spines, and pink, thistle-type flower heads | Naturalized weed of cultivation in southern and eastern regions | Ruminants, sheep most common | Nitrates—methemoglobinemia sudden death. | Toxicity is most likely from rapid, large plant intake. Nitrates: IV methylene blue. |
Solanum spp Nightshades, potato weeds | Annual herbs to large soft-wood shrubs with star-shaped, five-petalled white or purple flowers with prominent, erect, yellow staminodes centrally, followed by fleshy green, black, yellow, or red fruit | Widespread throughout all states; some as weeds of pasture or cultivation | Ruminants | Intact glycosidic steroidal alkaloids (leaves and immature fruits) cause gastroenteritis with diarrhea, calcinosis, and wasting. Alkamine—neuromuscular and/or teratogenic effects. They are poorly absorbed; however, if absorption occurs, hemolysis (hemoglobinuria), depression, and stupor may occur. | 100 species (8 native, 20 naturalized). No specific effective treatment is known. |
*Stachys arvensis Stagger weed | Erect, annual herb up to 30 cm high, with opposite, round-lobed leaves on square stems and tubular pinkish flowers | Widespread weed of cultivation | Ruminants, horses | Unidentified toxin causing incoordination. | Seed carrying plants are more toxic. Removing access to plants and leaving undisturbed results in recovery in most cases. |
Stemodia kingii | Erect herb with pale blue tubular flowers | Inland regions of Western Australia | Ruminants | Cucurbitacins—irritation of the upper GI tract and increased permeability of blood vessels producing sudden death with diarrhea. | No effective treatment is known. |
Stypandra glauca (S imbricata) Blind grass | Erect perennial herb with grass-like green leaves and terminal flower heads with pendulous, six-petalled blue flowers with six prominent yellow anthers | Mostly in southwestern Australia with populations in New South Wales | Ruminants, horses, poultry | Unknown. Stypandrol (young green shoots)—degeneration of retina and optic nerves and tracts causing permanent blindness. | No effective treatment is known. |
Swainsona spp Darling or Swainson peas, poison pea | Herbs with compound leaves with many leaflets and usually large, showy pea-type flowers with blue, pink, purple, or red petals, followed by inflated seed pods | Subtropical and temperate regions in all states | Ruminants (cattle more than sheep), horses; Young are more susceptible. | Swainsonine (an indolizidine alkaloid) produces acquired lysosomal storage of mannose, leading to incoordination, nervous derangement, weight loss, infertility, abortion. | Animals are reputed to develop a craving for the plants. Toxicity requires access for at least 2 weeks (horses) or 4 weeks (ruminants). No effective treatment is known. Less severely affected animals recover if access is prevented. |
Terminalia oblongata Yellow wood | Deciduous tree, up to 8–12 m tall, with dark gray, furrowed bark, leaves simple in clusters on branches, small white flowers, and fruits with a central oval seed enclosed in two papery wings | Confined to the McKenzie River basin of northeastern Queensland | Cattle, sheep | Hydrolyzable tannins; cattle—hepatogenous photosensitization and/or nephrosis; sheep—convulsions. | Toxicity is most likely from large plant intake. No effective treatment is known. |
*Trachyandra divaricata Branched onion weed | Herb with rosette of fleshy green linear leaves and an erect dichotomously branched flower spike with numerous darkly striped white flowers | Naturalized in coastal southwestern Australia; small populations also in New South Wales and South Australia | Horses, sheep | Unknown toxin causing ataxia and recumbency with degeneration of CNS tissues and intense lipofuscinosis of neurons. | No effective treatment is known. |
Trachymene glaucifolia, T ochracea, T cyanantha Wild parsnips | Annual or biennial herbs with rosettes of divided leaves at ground level and upright flowering stems bearing clusters of small flowers in flat-topped bunches | Subtropical inland areas of eastern states, in grasslands or woodlands | Sheep | Unidentified teratogenic toxin causing limb deviations via interference with normal development of long bone growth plates—"bent-leg" of lambs. Some association with infertility (low lambing percentages). Unidentified toxin causing sudden death in sheep under stress of mustering. Unidentified toxin causing diarrhea in young sheep. | No effective treatment is known. Many lambs affected at birth will recover. |
Trema tomentosa Poison peach | Small tree with alternate leaves tapered at each end with toothed margins and rough texture, very small white flowers in clusters in the leaf angles, followed by small black fruits | Coastal and inland northern and eastern Australia | Ruminants, horses | Unidentified hepatotoxin causes acute coagulation necrosis of periacinar hepatocytes, with rapid death after hepatoencephalopathy in some cases. | No effective treatment is known. |
Trianthema spp (T triquetra) Red spinach, hogweed, black or giant pigweed (Several native, one naturalized species) | Succulent prostrate herbs | Widespread in semiarid and arid regions of northern Australia | Ruminants; horses (suspected) | Soluble oxalates— hypocalcemia, nephrosis. Nitrates—methemoglobinemia. Not readily eaten when green. | Toxicity is most likely from rapid, large plant intake. Soluble oxalates: calcium borogluconate injection (prognosis guarded). Nitrates: IV methylene blue. |
*Tribulus terrestris Caltrop, puncture vine, bull head, or cathead | Prostrate annual herb with branching stems and compound leaves with yellow, five-petalled flowers and spiny burrs | Widespread in all mainland states; weed of pasture | Sheep | Steroidal saponins cause hepatogenous photosensitization. Beta-carboline alkaloids cause progressive irreversible caudal ataxia. Nitrate and/or a mycotoxin are suspects. | Toxicity is most likely when the plant dominates available feed. Wilting is thought to enhance toxicity by steroidal saponins. No effective treatment is known. |
*Trifolium spp Clovers (~20 naturalized species) | Herbs with trifoliate leaves and tight clusters of pea-type flowers with white, yellow, or pink petals | Cultivated pasture legumes in temperate regions | Sheep | Unidentified photosensitizing toxin. Phytoestrogens—infertility | No effective treatment is known. |
*Urochloa panicoides Urochloa, liverseed grass | Annual grass, prostrate or erect, with hairy leaves and branched seedheads | Native to India, naturalized in Queensland and New South Wales | Ruminants | Nitrates—methemoglobinemia. | Toxicity is most likely from rapid, large plant intake. Nitrates: IV methylene blue. |
*Verbesina encelioides Crownbeard, wild sunflower, American dogweed | Erect, annual herb with stem-clasping leaves and bright yellow, daisy-type flower heads | Weed of pasture in eastern regions; prefers sandy soils | Ruminants (sheep more susceptible), pigs | Galegine—acute pulmonary edema. Sudden death. | Toxicity is most likely from rapid, large plant intake. No effective treatment is known. |
*Vicia spp Woolly-pod vetch, Popany vetch | Herbs with compound leaves ending in tendrils and pink or purple pea-type flowers | Pasture legume in subtropical and temperate regions in all states (mainly southeastern Queensland) | Cattle (usually Aberdeen Angus, Friesian, and their cross-breeds); horses (rare). | Unidentified toxin can produce systemic eosinophilic granulomas in multiple organs. | Toxicity occurs when grazing dense swards of the plants. Skin lesions must be differentiated from photosensitization. No effective treatment is known. |
Wedelia asperrima Yellow daisy, sunflower daisy | Erect, annual herb with branched stems, leaves rough to the touch, and yellow, daisy-type flower heads | Grasslands of northern Australia | Ruminants | Diterpenoid (kaurene) glycoside—wedeloside—causes acute coagulation necrosis of periacinar hepatocytes with rapid death after hepatoencephalopathy in some cases. | Toxicity is most likely from rapid, large plant intake. No effective treatment is known. |
Wikstroemia indica Tie bush | Shrub up to 1–2 m tall, with red-brown bark, opposite leaves tapered at each end, greenish-yellow tubular flowers followed by red or orange fleshy fruits | Woodlands and forests of coastal eastern Australia | Cattle, deer | Uncertain. Irritant diterpenoid—alimentary tract irritation, diarrhea. Dicoumarin derivative—anticoagulant effect occurs only in deer. Toxicity–-fruits > leaves. | No effective treatment is known. |
*Xanthium occidentale (X pungens) Noogoora burr, cat's eggs | Upright, annual herb, with branches carrying broad-lobed, rough leaves on stalks, clusters of oblong brown burrs covered with hooked spines | Widespread weed of cultivation and pasture. Queensland and Northern Territory | Ruminants, pigs | Diterpenoid (kaurene) glycoside—carboxyatractyloside—causes acute coagulation necrosis of periacinar hepatocytes with rapid death after hepatoencephalopathy in some cases. | Only the cotyledonary (seed) leaves or burrs are toxic. Toxicity occurs commonly on river flats after rain or flooding. No effective treatment is known. |
Xanthorrhoea johnsonii, Xanthorrhoea fulva Northern Forest grass tree | Perennial rosette of numerous grass-like leaves arising from a trunk (caudex) constructed of leaf bases of fallen leaves, with a tall flower spike with a long cylindrical compact mass of flowers and bracts. Xanthorrhoea fulva does not develop a caudex | Coastal and subcoastal regions of eastern Australia (Queensland and New South Wales) | Cattle | Unidentified toxin—transient spinal cord dysfunction causing caudal ataxia and urinary incontinence. | Flower spikes and leaves are the most toxic parts of the plants. There may be a delay of several days between last access to the plants and onset of the syndrome. Supportive care is required. Most affected animals recover completely with symptomatic treatment. |
*Zantedeschia aethiopica Calla lily, arum lily, white arum lily | Herb with dark-green, fleshy leaves and upright, white, tubular flower (spathe) with yellow stalk (spadix) in its center | Cultivated garden plant, naturalized in coastal southern (particularly southwestern) Australia | Ruminants, horses, dogs, cats | Raphide calcium oxalate crystals—buccal irritation. | Effects are likely to be transient and not need treatment unless laryngeal edema occurs. |
*Zea may Maize Corn, Indian corn | Grass, erect, robust | Cultivated grain crop | Ruminants | Nitrates—methemoglobinemia. Cyanogenic glycosides—sudden death. | Nitrates: IV methylene blue. Cyanogenic glycosides: IV sodium thiosulfate. Repeat treatment may be needed for relapses. |
Zieria arborescens Stinkwood | Shrub to tree with trifoliate leaves and bunches of small, white flowers | Forests of southeastern mainland and Tasmania | Cattle | Unidentified pneumotoxin causing severe pulmonary edema and emphysema. | No effective treatment is known. |
aPlants introduced to Australia (not indigenous) are indicated by an asterisk (*) preceding the scientific name. | |||||
bFor detailed information on plant distribution, consult Australia's Virtual Herbarium website. | |||||
cEffective therapeutic regimens are not known for many acute poisonings. The use of activated charcoal as an adsorbent for organic toxins should be considered for these. | |||||
Plants recorded as definitely or probably toxic to animals in Australia total > 1,000. This table includes only those plants with a notable impact. It is essential, in many cases, to confirm the identity of suspected poisonous plants by having a representative specimen carrying flowers, fruit, or both (or spores in the case of ferns) examined by a professional botanist, who may be consulted at state herbariums in Australian state capital cities. Several of the non-native plants (eg, foxglove, oleander) that are listed in Poisonous Range Plants of Temperate North America are also found in Australia.
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