Velvety goldenrod
General poisoning notes:
Velvety goldenrod
(Solidago mollis) is a native herb found in the southern prairie
provinces. This plant was fed experimentally to sheep, killing them. The
corrosive resins have caused weight loss in calves, sheep, and small laboratory
animals. The toxin has not been determined. In the United States, some other
goldenrods (Solidago spp.) were shown to be poisonous. The presence of a
fungal rust on the plants was implicated in the poisoning (Beath et al. 1953,
Kingsbury 1964).
Description:
Plants
loosely clustered, 10–50 (–70) cm; rhizomes creeping. Stems 1 (at ends
of rhizomes), ascending to erect, grayish green, moderately to densely finely
strigilloso-puberulent. Leaves: basal and proximal often withering by
flowering, gradually tapering to winged petioles 1 / 2 length of
leaf, blades 45–100 × 10–35 mm, proximalmost much smaller, margins serrate,
faces moderately finely scabroso-strigillose; mid and distal cauline sessile,
blades elliptic to lanceolate or ovate, 10–60 × 4–20 mm, sometimes much reduced
distally, firm, thickish, margins serrate to entire, strongly 3-nerved or
sometimes brochidodromous, faces moderately finely strigillose. Heads
(5–)50–300, in compact thyrsiform to secund-pyramidal paniculiform arrays,
proximal branches ascending, sometimes apically recurved or branches spreading,
recurved, secund. Peduncles 0.5–3 mm, moderately to densely finely
hispiduloso-strigillose; bracteoles 0–3 , lanceolate, strigillose, grading into
phyllaries. Involucres campanulate, 3–6 mm. Phyllaries in 3–4
series, lanceolate to oblong (to 1.5 mm wide), strongly unequal, margins
ciliate, apices acute to obtuse, glabrous. Ray florets 6–10; laminae 1–2
× 0.2–0.6 mm. Disc florets 3–8; corollas 2.4–3.8 mm, lobes 0.7–1.2 mm. Cypselae
(cylindro-obconic) 1.5–2 mm, sparsely strigillose; pappi ca. 2–3 mm. 2n
= 18, 36, 54.
Nomenclature:
Scientific Name: Solidago mollis Bartl.
Vernacular name(s): velvety goldenrod, velvet
goldenrod, soft goldenrod
Scientific family
name: Compositae
Vernacular family
name: composite
Geographic Information:
Alberta, Manitoba,
Saskatchewan.
Toxic parts:
Leaves, stems.
Toxic plant chemicals:
Unknown chemical.
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:
Weight
loss.
Notes on poisoning:
Administering
small amounts of the resin to calves caused a loss of body weight. The same
resin given to small laboratory animals caused severe weight loss (Beath et al.
1953).
Sheep
General symptoms of
poisoning:
Breathing,
rapid, death, nausea, vomiting.
Notes on poisoning:
Doses of 0.45 kg
of partly dried plant material given 4 h apart caused death in 12 h. Symptoms
included nausea, vomiting, distress, and accelerated respiration. Small amounts
of the corrosive resin caused a loss of body weight (Beath et al. 1953).
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