STOCK-FOISOXIXG PLANTS OF THE RANGE 



51 



grows to a height of about 3 or 4 feet. It is found in small patches at 

 elevations of from 3.500 to 5.000 feet in the northern Sierras in Cali- 

 fornia. While far from common, it is yet a very important plant, 

 because of its extremely toxic character. It has been stated that a 

 single leaf will poison a sheep. This statement is probably exag- 

 gerated, but experimental work shows that very small quantities will 

 poison sheep and that death may be produced by between 1 and 2 

 ounces. The prominent symptoms are salivation, nausea accompanied 

 with vomiting, depression, weakness, and irregular respiration. 

 Figure 23 shows a slightly poisoned sheep. 



Labrador Tea (Ledum glandtjlosum ) 



Labrador tea (pi. 36) is also known in California as black laurel 

 and probably is not generally distinguished from Leucothoe davisiae 

 by the sheepmen, al- 

 though it has a very 

 different habit. It is 

 rather widely distrib- 

 uted, being found not 

 only in the Sierras and 

 coast ranges in Cali- 

 fornia, but also in Ore- 

 gon, Washington, Ne- 

 vada, and the Rocky 

 Mountains. This plant 

 has been considered as 

 dangerous as L. da- 

 visiae. Experimental 

 work has shown, how- 

 ever, that it is very 

 slightly toxic, and 

 probably never makes 

 trouble under range 

 conditions. It is well for the stock people to familiarize themselves 

 with the evident differences between Labrador tea and L. davisiae. 



Rhododendron albiflorum 



Rhododendron albiflorum (pi. 37) is common in the mountains of 

 the Northwest and has undoubtedly caused some losses, although it is 

 not very generally recognized as a poisonous plant. Experiments 

 apparently show that it is more poisonous than Menziesia, but less so 

 than the black laurel. Losses from this plant have been reported 

 from the Columbia National Forest, in Washington, and from the 

 Routt National Forest, in Colorado. 



Figure 28. — A sheep poisoned by black laurel, Leucothoe 

 davisiae, showing salivation 



Western Azalea (Azalea occidentalis) 



The western azalea. Azalea occidentalis, sometimes called white 

 laurel (pi. 38), is found in the coast ranges and the Sierras, growing 

 at a slightly lower level than the black laurel, and causes considerable 

 losses of sheep. 



