WESTERN SNEEZEWEED AS A POISONOUS PLANT. 6 
The following references to the poisonous properties of Helenium 
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 (1913) states that "sneezeweed (Helenium aulumnale, 
Helenium monianum) " 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 Helenium hoopesii. 
Glover and Robbins (1915, pp. 66-67) give a brief description of 
11 Dugaldia hoopesii" 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 Helenium. Jioopesii 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 is 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 
Helenium (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, 
