Crotalaria - If you have livestock, even chickens, kill this plant every time you see it. Some call it Rattlebox, others Showy Crotalaria. All parts of the plant are toxic to both livestock and humans. It causes liver damage over time. Even the dried plant baled up as hay is toxic. It has yellow blooms and seed pods similar to Peas. I know it grows all over the southeast. I battled this plant for 15 years in a hay field I leased.
The worst part is that it keeps coming back... the seeds are viable for 60 years!
It's an invasive from India and grows over the south central US. As far west as Colorado and north to Maryland.
I found these plants a couple of days ago..
LSU College of Agriculture
Showy crotalaria (Crotalaria spectabilis) was imported as a nitrogen-fixing legume for tung-oil tree orchards in the Gulf Coast states. It is found in fields and along roadsides from southeast Louisiana into Florida. Showy crotalaria is a significant toxic plant in the region.
The seeds remain viable for up to 60 years in undisturbed soil. The plant may appear following land clearing where trees are removed and the soil disturbed. Horse and livestock owners may not realize the hazard that showy crotalaria poses for their animals.
https://www.lsuagcenter.com/topics/...th/horses/horses-poisoned-by-showy-crotalaria
The worst part is that it keeps coming back... the seeds are viable for 60 years!
It's an invasive from India and grows over the south central US. As far west as Colorado and north to Maryland.
I found these plants a couple of days ago..
LSU College of Agriculture
Showy crotalaria (Crotalaria spectabilis) was imported as a nitrogen-fixing legume for tung-oil tree orchards in the Gulf Coast states. It is found in fields and along roadsides from southeast Louisiana into Florida. Showy crotalaria is a significant toxic plant in the region.
The seeds remain viable for up to 60 years in undisturbed soil. The plant may appear following land clearing where trees are removed and the soil disturbed. Horse and livestock owners may not realize the hazard that showy crotalaria poses for their animals.
https://www.lsuagcenter.com/topics/...th/horses/horses-poisoned-by-showy-crotalaria
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