Everything about Locoweed totally explained
» Locoweed is also a slang name for cannabis.
Locoweed is a term used to describe
plants from two different
genera of
legumes most commonly found in the
midwestern United States. These contain
neurotoxins harmful to
herbivores, especially
cattle and horses.
Genus Oxytropis
Oxytropis is the genus most commonly referred to as locoweed. The twenty-four
species of
Oxytropis contain a neurotoxin,
swainsonine.
Oxytropis is distributed throughout the western half of North American continent, particularly in the regions of the
Great Plains and the
Rocky Mountains. The varieties most frequently encountered by livestock are the white locoweed (
Oxytropis sericea) and the purple locoweed (
Oxytropis lambertii).
Some varieties of
milkvetch are also referred to as locoweed. These are primarily species which grow in areas with high
selenium content in the
soil.
Effects on livestock
Locoweed is eaten during the early spring and late fall, when it's often the only green plant available to grazing animals. Ingestion causes symptoms similar to
bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), including erratic behavior, aggression, lethargy, depression, loss of balance, nervousness, and abortion, among others. Although symptoms reduce with time after removing the animal from exposure to locoweed, some nerve damage is permanent. In horses, this brain damage can make them dangerous to ride.
Locoweed takes its name from the Spanish
loco, "crazy," referring to the behavior of animals which consume the
herb.
Taxonomy
Kingdom
Plantae
