Marsh horsetail
General poisoning notes:
Marsh horsetail (Equisetum
palustre) is a native horsetail growing across Canada. This plant has
poisoned cattle and, rarely, sheep. In addition to thiaminase, it contains an
alkaloid, that causes the toxicity (Kingsbury 1964, Cooper and Johnson 1984).
Nomenclature:
Scientific Name: Equisetum palustre L.
Vernacular name(s):
marsh horsetail
Scientific family
name: Equisetaceae
Vernacular family
name: horsetail
Geographic Information
Alberta, British
Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Northwest, Territories, Nova
Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory
Notes on Poisonous plant parts:
Marsh horsetail
has separate fertile and sterile stems. Unlike field horsetail, both types of
fronds are greenish, with the added fruiting sporangia body on top of the
fertile frond.
Toxic parts:
Leaves, stems.
Notes on Toxic plant chemicals:
Palustrine, an
alkaloid, has been found in marsh horsetail. This alkaloid may contribute to
the poisoning of cattle by this plant. Thiaminase activity is usually not a
problem in ruminants because thiamine is produced in the rumen. Therefore, the
presence of alkaloids is suspected to cause the toxic responses. The alkaloid
content varies greatly (96-302 mg/100 g of dry weight). Frosted plant material
quickly loses most of its alkaloid content, whereas air-dried marsh horsetail
can keep its alkaloid content for years (Frohne and Pfander 1983).
Toxic plant chemicals:
Palustrine, thiaminase.
Animals/Human Poisoning:
Note: When an
animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993)
contained no detailed explanation.
Cattle
General symptoms of
poisoning:
Diarrhea
Horses
Sheep
General symptoms of poisoning:
Diarrhea,
muscle, weakness of, sweating.
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