Petty spurge
General poisoning notes:
Petty spurge (Euphorbia
peplus) is a naturalized herb found across Canada. This plant contains a
caustic and irritant chemical in the latex, which causes burning and
inflammation of skin and eyes. Ingestion results in complications. Family pets
should not be allowed to ingest this plant. Experimental poisoning occurred in
a calf that was fed petty spurge (Kingsbury 1964).
Nomenclature:
Scientific Name: Euphorbia peplus L.
Vernacular
name(s): petty spurge
Scientific family
name: Euphorbiaceae
Vernacular family
name: spurge
Geographic Information
British Columbia, Manitoba,
New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec,
Saskatchewan.
Toxic parts:
Latex.
Notes on Toxic plant chemicals:
Petty spurge
contains a toxic diterpene, 5-deoxyingenol, as well as ingenol (Frohne and
Pfander 1983).
Toxic plant chemicals:
5-deoxyingenol
Animals/Human Poisoning:
Note: When an
animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993)
contained no detailed explanation.
Cattle
General symptoms of
poisoning:
Salivation.
Notes on poisoning:
Experimental
feeding of petty spurge caused blood-stained feces and excessive salivation in
a calf (Kingsbury 1964).
Humans
General symptoms of
poisoning:
eye,
discharge of
mouth,
irritation of
Notes on poisoning:
Skin and mucous
membrane irritation result from contact with the latex. Severe eye irritation
also occurs (Fuller and McClintock 1986).
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