BULLETIN No. 1012 § 
Contribution from the Bureau of Animal Industry iN 
JOHN R. MOHLER, Chief 
PROFESSIONAL PAPER April 17, 1922 
ie THE DEATH CAMAS SPECIES, ZYGADENUS PANICULATUS 
= AND Z. ELEGANS, AS POISONOUS PLANTS. : 
By C. Dwicut Marsn, Physiologist in Charge of Investigations of Stock Poisoning by 
Plants, and A. B. CLtawson, Physiologist, Pathological Division. 
CONTENTS. 
is Page. Page 
| Purpose and scope of paper.....-.-..---.-----  eeDIScUSSiONVandiresulis® <= ean eee 20 
AYQanenws Panicularus. 5222022252222 =. 2 2 Symp COmIse-2 eee ee ee 20 
ea Description and distribution of plant... . 2 Duration of symptoms. .......-- oS sng 21 
Hxperimental feeding-_.30.-205.2:-..--. 3 Time required to produce symptoms... 21 
Discussiomand resultsy os. ss ae 10 Resultsiotautopsy ss 4.) eeee ao. ee eee 22 
SSAA] OOD Oa Fas oE cp tay) ng han ue og ee 10 Toxicand lethal dosage: . 22-2522. 2 22 
Duration ofsymptoms.....:--)...2..--. 12 Comparative toxicity of Z. gramineus, Z. 
Time required to produce symptoms ..- 13 paniculatus, and Z. elegans...........- 24 
MoxicandWlethalidosaress 2.242224). te 13 Z. elegans not especially dangerous for 
© NGAUS QUA SS Se a AE eG 16 SHE@ Dee a bs cei sc pea pe es ee ee 25 
Description and distribution of plant... - OK] MOLLIMIMI AY: vee oe A ois ee ee an 25 
Experimental feeding ....-.........--.-- 17 
PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF PAPER. 
In Bulletin 125, United States Department of Agriculture, page 
35, the following statement was made with regard to the comparative 
toxicity of different species of Zygadenus:' 
In the course of the experiments four species of Zygadenus were used—Z. venenosus, 
Z. elegans, Z. paniculatus, and Z. coloradensis—by tar the greater part of the work be- 
ing done with Z. venenosus.. The number of experiments with Z. elegans and Z. pani- 
culatus was very small, and the material, especially in the case of Z. paniculatus, had 
been shipped a long distance, so that there was some question of the water content 
oftheplant. Apparently, however, Z.elegansand Z. paniculatus do not differ materially 
in toxicity from Z. venenosus. Z. coloradensis, however, produced no toxic effects 
whatever, with the exception of slight symptoms in one sheep, although the plant 
was fed in quantities several times as great as the toxic dose of Z. venenosus. 
It is evident that in the feeding of cattle with Z. coloradensis at Mount Carbon jn 
1909, the results of which are given in Table I, the quantities fed were too small to 
__ produce results, even if the plants were as poisonous as Z. venenosus. In the experi- 
Pe | ment of 1910, however, a large quantity was fed, and sufficiently large quantities in 
single days to produce symptoms of poisoning if the plant were as toxic as Z. venenosus. 
| 
- Most of the work reported in Bulletin 125 was on the species of 
_ AZygadenus growing in the Yellowstone Valley, Montana, which 
1 Zygadenus, or Death Camas, by C. Dwight Marsh, A. B. Clawson, and Hadleigh Marsh, Bulletin 125, 
United States Department of Agriculture, 1915. ; 
67283°—22— Bull. 1012——1 
