Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
August,  1889.  J 
Poisonous  Plants. 
409 
after  proper  limb-control  is  lost,  the  staggering  animal  refuses  to 
eat  or  drink  at  all,  becomes  stupid,  reels  and  falls,  seldom  rising  again. 
Stupor  increases,  eyes  become  dull  and  staring,  perfect  stupor  comes 
on.  Limbs  and  neck  may  become  quite  rigid  and  extended,  or  else  in 
natural  position  and  easily  moved  by  the  hand.  Abdomen  usually 
swells  to  enormous  size.  Victim  may  lie  in  this  condition  a  week  or 
death  may  come  in  a  few  hours,  there  is  rarely  any  struggle  at  that 
time. 
Post-mortem  examination. — The  intestines  with  their  surrounding 
fat  are  already  green,  although  the  creature  may  have  just  died.  The 
arteries  and  smaller  vessels  in  the  limbs  are  gorged  with  thick,  black 
blood.  The  lining  of  the  first  stomach  is  worn  and  ulcerated  in 
patches  and  in  some  cases  seems  to  have  commenced  decomposition,  is 
very  soft  and  can  be  peeled  off  the  muscular  layer  with  thumb  and 
forefinger  in  big  pieces.  Lungs  and  heart  almost  bloodless,  but  the 
brain,  particularly  the  cerebellum,  is  purplish,  soft  and  pulpy. 
The  symptoms  vary  considerably  and  it  seems  unlikely  that  one 
poison  causes  them  all.  Four  common  plants  are  here  said  to  "  loco  99 
stock,  viz  :  Oxytropis  Lamberti,  Leucocrinum  montanum,  Fritillaria 
pudica  and  Zygadenus  elegans.  The  first  is  now  known  to  produce 
no  evil  effects  except  when  eaten  in  large  quantities  for  days  together. 
Leucocrinum  montanum  is  said  to  be  very  fatal  to  sheep  after  the 
fruit  has  developed.  It  grows  close  in  the  grass  and  its  narrow  grass- 
like leaves  are  not  easily  avoided  by  stock.  Fritillaria  pudica  is  al- 
most the  first  plant  to  flower  in  spring.  Before  the  grass  is  green 
horses  and  sheep  often  nip  off  the  leaves.  The  scaly  bulb  is  some- 
what acrid  to  the  taste.  Zygadenus  elegans  does  not  flower  so  early, 
but  sends  up  its  long  grassy  leaves  at  the  same  time.  Sheep  eat  much 
of  this  plant,  even  nipping  off  the  panicles  when  they  appear.  The 
whole  plant  is  acrid,  but  the  deep-set  bulb  is  strongly  so. 
Note  by  Abstractor. — F.  D.  Kelsey  writing  from  Montana  to 
the  same  journal  (Botanical  Gazette,  1889,  20)  states  that  he  had 
recently  received  specimens  of  a  root  and  plant  from  a  ranchman, 
with  the  declaration  that  "  it  was  a  i  loco ?  weed  and  that  it  was  killing 
horses."    The  specimen  proved  to  be  Oxytropis  lagopus,  Nutt. 
The  writer  of  the  above  article,  it  will  be  observed,  does  not  men- 
tion any  plants  of  the  genus  Astragalus,  although  several  species, 
notably  the  A.  mollissimus,  Torr.,  have  been  credited  with  this  peculiar 
toxic  action.  In  fact,  the  latter  plant  and  the  nearly  related  Oxytropis 
