WESTERN SNEEZEWEED AS A POISONOUS PLANT. 3 



The following references to the poisonous properties of FFelenium 

 hoopesii have been found in the literature: 



Pammel (1910, p. 140) says that it is "said to be poisonous to 

 sheep." 



In 1911, page 781, he says: 



It is said to be poisonous like other species of the genus. Sheep carefully avoid it, 

 feeding on the grass and other herbaceous plants, leaving the plant standing. 



Barnes (19.13) states that "sneezeweed (FFelenium aulumnale, 

 Flelenium monlanum) " grows all over the West and is poisonous to 

 sheep. He also says that water from tanks in the sneezeweed region 

 may poison sheep and has poisoned men. With very little doubt 

 the sneezeweed he speaks about is FFelenium hoopesii. 



Glover and Robbins (1915, pp. 66-67) give a brief description of 

 "Dugaldia hoo-pesii" and state that "in the mountainous districts 

 of Colorado bitter milk and meat are not uncommon, and it can no 

 doubt be safely attributed in many instances to the eating of this 

 plant. Severe poisoning may result from eating large quantities of 

 the plant." 



Hall and Yates (1915, p. 246) include Flelenium. hoopesii in a list 

 of plants "either definitely known to be poisonous to stock or are 

 under suspicion, but which seldom, if ever, cause serious trouble in 

 California." 



Pammel (1917, p. 462) says: 



The Rocky Mountain D. hoopesii is a much larger plant than the eastern species. 

 This ia very common in Utah and western Colorado. I saw a great deal of this in 

 the Uintah Mountains. Sheep were abundant on the range where I noted this plant. 

 I found that, though sheep will eat all kinds of herbage, they carefully avoid this 

 species. I feel sure that when forage is scarce they sometimes eat this weed and may 

 sometimes die. The summer I was on this range hundreds of sheep died from various 

 causes, some, perhaps, from this sneezeweed. 



Marsh (1918, pp. 19 and 20) makes a summarized statement in 

 regard to the plant. 



Beath (1919, p. 45) says: 



Recently western sneezeweed is reported to have occasioned losses among sheep 

 in certain States, especially Utah. The poison is slow in action and said to be cum- 

 ulative. Its specific nature has not as yet been announced. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT, i 



FFelenium (Dugaldia) hoopesii (fig. 1) belongs to the composite 

 family and is a strong perennial, growing to a height of 1 to 3 feet 

 with one or several stems. It often develops a large crown and 

 spreads vegetatively by this crown. (Fig. 3.) 



The plant, when young, is often hairy or woolly, particularly the 

 stems, but later becomes glabrous. The stem is leafy; the thick 



iThe description of the plant was prepared by W. W. Eggleston, Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. 

 Department of Agriculture. 



