Poisonous Plants

ELDON COLE

MT. VERNON, MISSOURI

   Ten days or so ago a couple of fellows came to me wanting to know if I’d ever heard of a plant their veterinarian told them was very poisonous. They showed me the note and sure enough it was perilla mint. Neither one could ever remember hearing that perilla mint was one of the worst toxic plants we encounter. Apparently, in their neighborhood in late September or early October, 8 or so cows were diagnosed as victims of perilla mint.

   The unusual thing to me was the fact the deceased cattle were all in good health and as one fellow put it, they were fleshy and almost pampered with cubes. When I hear about mint poisoning it’s mostly for cattle that are thin and hungry. I’ve even seen adult cows in the winter eat the dry seed pods and die.

   If you aren’t familiar with mint you should go to your computer and look it up before next summer for I’ll bet you’ve got in some of your shaded areas where the soils a little damp. Once you see or smell it you’ll never forget it. The stem is square and the stem and leaves have a purplish color to them. Cattle don’t normally bother it, but for some reason these cows must not have had a mother tell them to not eat it. News flash from Dake BSE day, 6 or 8 Corriente roping steers died from perilla. They were shipped in from another state. ∆

   ELDON COLE: Extension Livestock Specialist, University of Missouri