546 MANUAL OF POISONOUS PLANTS 



The disease is also known as the Missouri Bottom disease. Hundreds of 

 horses in the Missouri Bottom in Western Iowa and Eastern Nebraska die from 

 eating this weed, it being most common in unbroken fields. Horses should be 

 kept from all suspected fields. Only cultivated grasses and forage plants should 

 be grown. Some doubt has been expressed that this plant is the cause of the 

 trouble. The writer a number of years ago, in collaboration with Dr. Miller, 

 investigated an outbreak near Council Bluffs. This disease occurred only in 

 the bottoms, where the weed was common, and a large number of horses die 

 from it annually. No other injurious plants could be found except some ergot 

 on wild rye. A decoction of the weed found here was fed by Dr. McNeill to 

 a horse but no injurious symptoms followed. A decoction of the seeds was 

 fed to a guinea pig without any serious symptoms. Dr. F. B. Power however 

 found a small amount of an alkaloid in the seeds which caused slight illness in 

 a kitten. From all of these experiments we may conclude that rattle box is in- 

 jurious under some conditions. 



7. Lupinus (Tourn.) L Lupine. 



Herbs or rarely shrubs with generally palmately compound leaves ; stipules 

 adherent to the base of the petiole ; flowers showy, in long, dense racemes ; 

 calyx deeply toothed and 2-lipped; corolla with an orbicular or ovate standard 

 with margins reflexed; wings oblong, or obovate, lightly cohering, and enclos- 

 ing the keel, which is incurved or beaked; stamens monadelphous, anthers of 

 2 forms ; pistil with an incurved style and sessile ovary ; pod flattened, somewhat 

 constricted. About 100 species of temperate regions, or a few in warm regions. 

 The North American species are chiefly west of the 100th meridian. The 

 Lupinus perennis occurs in sandy soil from New England to Minnesota and 

 Louisiana; L. albus, L. luteus and L. angustifolia are cultivated for forage in 

 Europe, the seeds being used as a substitute for coffee. 



Lupinus argenteus Pursh. Hairy Lupine 



A much branched perennial, slightly shrubby, from 2-3 feet high, silky 

 pubescent hairs appressed, leaves with small stipules ; petioles equalling or long- 

 er than the leaves ; leaflets sessile, narrowed at the base ; flowers in rather dense, 

 terminal racemes, purple; pod silky, pubescent, generally 3-5 seeded. A very 

 variable species. 



Distribution. Prairies of South Dakota to Western Nebraska to New 

 Mexico, Utah, and from Arizona to Montana. Abundant in the foothills. 



Lupinus perennis L Wild Lupine 



Perennial, somewhat hairy; erect stems, 1-2 feet high; leaves compound; 

 7-11 oblanceolate leaflets; flowers showy, purple-blue, in a long raceme; pods 

 broad, very hairy, 5-6-seeded. 



Distribution. Sandy soil from New England to Minnesota, Missouri, and 

 ,the Gulf region. 



Lupinus plattensis Watson. Nebraska Lupine 



Somewhat like the preceding, with appressed silky-villous hairs, and a glau- 

 cous hue ; leaflets spatulate ; flowers in loose and short peduncled racemes ; petals 

 pale blue. 



