W209 

 DEATHCAMASES 



Zygade'nus spp., syns. Anticle'a spp., Toxicoscor'dion spp. 



Deathcamases, sometimes known as poison-segos, poison-camases, poison- 

 soaproots, and erroneously called lobelias, are herbaceous perennials of the 

 buuchflpwer family (Melanthiaceae), which many botanists prefer to regard 

 as a tribe or subfamily of the lily family (Liliaeeae). These plants are most 

 commonly called deathcainases, to distinguish them from the somewhat similar, 

 edible carnases (Quamasia spp., syn. Camassia spp.) with which they are often 

 confused. The generic name Zygadcnus is derived from the Greek words sugon, 

 a yoke, and ad.en, a gland, and refers to the characteristic, yoked, or paired 

 petal glands of the type species, Atlantic deathcamas (Z. glaberrimus) of the 

 Eastern States. In the western species these two glands are united into a 

 single gland found at the base of each flower (perianth) segment. The genus, 

 which is widely distributed from New Brunswick to Alaska and from Florida 

 to northern Mexico, includes approximately 15 species. Deathcamas is repre- 

 sented in all of the eleven far-western States, as well as on range lands in 

 Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas. The various species occur from 

 slightly above sea level (about 600 feet in California) up to 12,000 feet in Utah. 

 They grow in almost every type of soil and flourish in both dry and moist situ- 

 ations, sometimes actually living in water. Some species grow in clumps or 

 patches, but the majority are mixed with a variety of other herbaceous plants. 

 Usually most species seek full sunlight, but a few prefer shaded sites. 



All North American species are poisonous, to a greater or less degree, to both 

 animals and man. Grassy deathcamas (Z. gramineus), meadow deathcamas 

 (Z. venen-osus), foothill deathcamas (Z. paniculatus) , and mountain deathcamas 

 (Z. elegans) are the most common and important species in the West. How- 

 ever, grassy and meadow deathcarnases are the most dangerous. Z. elegans is 

 only slightly poisonous and probably never is injurious to livestock on the 

 range. 1 The more virulent species of deathcamas cause the majority of sheep 

 losses from poisonous plants on the early spring and summer ranges because 

 they are green and succulent far in advance of most other plants.* Plants of 

 this genus are usually dried up before the sheep reach the higher summer 

 ranges, and hence, as a rule, are not then a source of temptation to that class of 

 livestock. Cattle are seldom poisoned unless forced to graze on heavily infested 

 areas, where other forage is scarce. Horses rarely, if ever, eat deathcamas. 



Marsh 8 gives the symptoms of deathcamas poisoning as frothing at the 

 mouth, nausea with vomiting, great weakness accompanied sometimes with 

 nervousness and resulting in collapse of the animal, which may lie without 

 food for hours, or even days, before death. While permanganate of potash, 

 aluminum sulphate, and bleeding have been recommended 4 5 as remedies for 

 deathcamas poisoning, the only practical defense or control, under range con- 

 ditions, is to prohibit the animals from heavily infested areas. 8 All parts of the 

 plants are toxic; sometimes very small quanties will produce injury. The 

 mature seeds are particularly toxic but, fortunately, the plants are dry and not 

 very palatable at the time of seed dissemination. 6 7 



At certain stages of plant growth, it is very difficult to distinguish death- 

 camas from such, related but harmless plants as camas (Quamasia), onion 

 (Allium), wild-hyacinth (Hookera) and mariposa, including sego-lily (Calo- 

 chortus). Deathcamases often grow in association with onions and wild hya- 



1 Marsh, c. D., and Clawson, A. B. THE DEATH CAMAS SPECIES, ZYGADENUS PANICULATUS 

 AND z. ELEGANS, AS POISONOUS PLANTS. U. S. Dept. Agr. Bull. 1012, 25 pp., illus. 1922. 



s Marsh, C. D. ( Clawson, A. B., and Marsh, H. ZYGADENUS, OR DEATH CAMAS. U. S. 

 Dept. Agr. Bull. 125, 46 pp., illus. 1915. 



3 Marsh, C. D. STOCK-POISONING PLANTS OF THE RANGE. U. S. Dept. Agr. Bull. 1245, 

 rev., 75 pp., illus. 1929. Supersedes Bull. 575. 



4 Chesnut, V. K., and Wilcox, E. V. THE STOCK-POISONING PLANTS OF MONTANA : A 

 PRELIMINARY REPORT. U. S. Dept. Agr., Div. Bot. Bull. 26, 150 pp., illus. 1901. 



5 Talbot, P. R., and Hooper, J. C. WEEDS POISONOUS TO LIVESTOCK. Alberta Dept. 

 Agr. Bull. 1,40 pp., illus. 1919. 



Marsh, C. D., and Clawson, A. B. THE STOCK-POISONING DEATH CAMAS. U. S. Dept. 

 Agr. Farmers' Bull. 1273, 11 pp., illus. 1922. 



^ Niemann, K. W. REPORT OF AN OUTBREAK OF POISONING IN THE DOMESTICATED FOWI<J 

 DUE TO DEATH CAMAS. Jour. Amer. Vet. Med. Assoc. 73 : 627-630, illus. 1928. 



