STOCK-POISOXIXG PLAXTS OF THE RAXGE 



13 



Figure 4. 



-A heifer suffering from poisoning by tie 

 scrub oak of Utah 



species, all may be grouped under the two general heads of tal] lark- 

 spurs and low larkspurs. 



Tall Labkspubs 



The tall larkspurs in their maturity reach a height of 4 or even 

 6 or 8 feet. They are perennials and grow in great abundance in 

 the high mountain re- 

 gion.-, ordinarily pre- 

 ferring damp and shel- 

 tered places, such as 

 are found in mountain 

 valleys and under tree-. 

 Under some circum- 

 stances, however, they 

 may grow in consider- 

 able abundance in the 

 open. All the tall lark- 

 spurs agree in the 

 form of the leaf, which 

 i- well illustrated in 

 Plate 7 and Figure 8. 

 The flowers, with the 

 spur from which the 

 plant gets it- name, 

 are very characteristic 



in their form and in most >pecies vary in their colors through 

 various shades of violet, blue, and purple. Before the plants are 

 mature the leaves may be confused with those of the wild geranium, 

 which in many place- grows abundantly with the tall larkspur, but 

 the different habit of the plant makes it comparatively easy to dis- 

 tinguish between them. 



It is more difficult to 

 distinguish between 

 monkshood and lark- 

 spur, because the leaves 

 of the monkshood are 

 almost identical in form 

 with those of the lark- 

 spur, and the habit of 

 the plant is similar. 

 The leaves of monks- 

 hood have shorter pet- 

 ioles (leafstalks) than 

 those of larkspur. 



Species of tall lark- 

 spurs are found in all 

 the mountain ranges of 



Figure 5. — A " shinneried " bull in western Texas the West at high ele- 



vations, growing up as 

 high as the timber line. Sometimes they are found as scattered 

 clumps of plants, but frequently they grow in large masses. 



Plate 7 shows the leaf, flower, ami" seed pod of the dunce-cap lark- 

 spur which is most common in Montana and adjoining States, known 

 ta botanists as DelpMrdvm cm ulla turn. This does not ordinarily 



