Symptoms Key to the Principal Poisonous Plants 
A botanical key, based on the flower structure and morphological 
features of plants, has proved invaluable to botanists. The value of such 
Read Carefully @ key depends on the ease and definiteness with which the 
before using mame of a plant can be ascertained by its use. Such 
the Key definiteness cannot be claimed for the work which follows. 
It is, in the first place, quite conceivable that any of the symptoms 
named might be caused by something other than the eating of a poisonous 
plant. Even if a plant has caused the trouble, it is often impossible, 
judging by symptoms alone, to decide definitely what particular species 
isresponsible. It therefore follows that the worker with poisonous species 
must know his plants, as the botanist knows them, by a knowledge of and 
familiarity with their distinctive characteristics. 
This key is included, however, so that when an animal exhibits symp- 
toms of poisoning and a plant is suspected, an idea may be rapidly gained 
of the plant that should be looked for in pasture or feed. To make a com- 
plete diagnosis the plant must always be found and carefully identified. 
I. Injurious in Hay or Coarse Feeds. PAGE 
A. Mechanical injuries to mouth and throat 
—Hordeum 36 
B. Nervous symptoms. 
(i) Hay fed for some time: 
(a) Horses— incoérdination, 
diarrhoea, paleness.......... .—Equisetum 27 
(b) Horses — constipation, eyes 
congested, nervous weakness, 
intoxication.........6....4.. —Pileris aquilina 33 
(c) Anaesthesia of extremities, 
gangrene............-...05- —Claviceps 18 
-(d) Trembling, staggering, worse 
when driven.............. —Eupatorium 
urticaefolinm 45 
(ii) Feed recently changed—nervous 
symptoms, incodrdination: 
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