Common milkweed
General poisoning notes:
Common milkweed (Asclepias
syriaca) is a native perennial herb found in eastern Canada in fields,
ditches, and waste places. This plant has poisoned sheep in the eastern United
States. The plant contains cardiac glycosides, which are toxic to animals
(Reynard and Norton, Joubert 1989).
Nomenclature:
Scientific Name: Asclepias syriaca L.
Vernacular
name(s): common milkweed
Scientific family
name: Asclepiadaceae
Vernacular family
name: milkweed
Geographic Information
Manitoba, New
Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec
Toxic parts:
Latex, leaves, stems
Toxic plant chemicals:
Desglucosyrioside,
syrioboside, syrioside
Animals/Human Poisoning:
Note: When an
animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993)
contained no detailed explanation.
Sheep
General symptoms of
poisoning:
Death.
Notes on poisoning:
A dozen sheep died
after ingesting large amounts of common milkweed in Maryland. The plants, which
were almost the only vegetation available during a drought, are normally
distasteful to livestock (Reynard and Norton 1942).
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