8 BULLETIN 12 45, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Grassy Death Camas (Zygadenus gramineus) 



The grassy death eamas. Zygaderms gramineus, is especially com- 

 mon in Montana. Wyoming, and the neighboring States, and is re- 

 sponsible for heavy losses in the spring. It starts before the grasses 

 and matures in May and June. The plant and fruit are shown in 

 Plate 4. 



Foothill Death Camas (Zygadentjs paniculattts) 



Zygaderms pamcultttus, known as the foothill death camas, is the 

 common species in the intermountain region. It has a compound 

 flower stem, so that the group of flowers is more extended than in 

 the other species. This species causes much sickness, but not so many 

 deaths as does the grassy death camas. 



Meadow Death Camas (Zygadenus yenenosl's) 



While the foothill death camas grows on gravelly ridges and dry 

 areas, the meadow death camas {Zygadenus venienosus) (pi. 3). 

 grows in damp meadows. It is the common death camas of the 

 Pacific States and causes much trouble, though not so many deaths 

 as the grassy deatli camas. 



Mountain Death Camas (Zygadenus elegans) 



In gullies and damp places in the mountains above 8,000 feet there 

 is found another death camas. Zygadenus elegans, sometimes in con- 

 siderable masses. While this closely resembles the other species, it is 

 only slightly poisonous and probably never injures animals on the 

 range. 



Xittall Death Camas (Zygadenus nuttaulii) 



It has recently been shown that a fifth species, Xuttall death 

 camas. growing in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, is also poisonous 

 to livestock and is even more poisonous than the species growing in 

 the Western States. The reported losses by this death camas have 

 been of cattle, although the plant is equally poisonous to sheep. 



Death Camas Poisonous to All Animals 



Cattle may be poisoned by death camas. and horses are frequently 

 made sick by it. Most of the losses, however, are of sheep. There 

 have been many serious cases of human poisoning when children 

 or others have eaten the bulbs. 



Symptoms of Zygadenus Poisoning 



The prominent symptoms of Zygadenus poisoning, as seen on the 

 range, are frothing at the mouth, nausea with vomiting, great weak- 

 ness accompanied sometimes with nervousness and resulting in col- 

 lapse of the animal (fig. 2). which may lie without food for hours, 

 or even days, before death terminates the case. It is not unusual 

 for large numbers of sheep in a band to be poisoned by Zygadenus, 



