POISONOUS PLANTS
The springtime killer in your field
L
ivestock owners need to
be on the lookout for a
highly toxic plant
known as gifblaar,
Dichapetalum cymosum,
which is responsible for 10%
of cattle deaths in Gauteng.
And donkeys, goats and
sheep also fall prey.
Apparently horses are less
Bright green foliage appears attractive
amid the still-brown grass of early spring
vulnerable to it.
The plant is found particularly
in the Pretoria and
Magaliesberg regions.
The livestock are more likely
to eat this plant from midAugust to the end of
November and then again in
autumn (beginning of March
to the end of May.) This is
because it is attractive
greenery before the grass has
benefitted from spring rains or
Gifblaar, Dichapetalum cymosum
20
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by the end of summer when
grazing is decreasing.
The symptoms of poisoning
can be seen after the animal
has drunk water or milk or it
has exerted itself.
These may appear within six
to twelve hours after ingestion
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