General poisoning notes:

Five-hooked bassia (Bassia hyssopifolia) is a naturalized herb found in southern parts of western Canada. The plant is suspected of poisoning livestock. James et al. (1976) report experimental poisoning of sheep after they were fed macerated above-ground parts of the plant.

References:

James, L. F., Williams, M. C., Bleak, A. T. 1976. Toxicity of Bassia hyssopifolia to sheep. J. Range Manage., 29: 284-285.

Nomenclature:

Scientific Name: Bassia hyssopifolia (Pall.) Ktze.
 

Vernacular name(s): five-hooked bassia

Scientific family name: Chenopodiaceae

Vernacular family name: goosefoot

Go to ITIS*^ca for more taxonomic information on: Bassia hyssopifolia

References:

Agriculture Quebec. 1975. Noms des maladies des plantes du Canada/ Names of plant diseases in Canada. , Quebec City, Que., Canada. 288 pp.

Alex, J. F., Cayouette, R., Mulligan, G. A. 1980. Common and botanical names of weeds in Canada/Noms populaire et scientifiques des plantes nuisibles du Canada. Revised. Agric. Can. Publ., Ottawa, Ont., Canada. 132 pp.

Bailey, L. H., Bailey, E. Z. 1976. Hortus third. Revised. MacMillan, New York, N.Y., USA. 1290 pp.

Scoggan, H. J. 1978, 1979. The flora of Canada. Nat. Mus. Nat. Sci. (Ottawa) Publ. Bot. 7(1)-7(4). 1711 pp.

Van Wijk, H. L. 1911. A dictionary of plant names. Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague, The Netherlands. 1444 pp.

Victorin, M. 1964. Flore Laurentienne. 2nd ed. Univ. Montreal, Montreal, Que., Canada. 952 pp.

Geographic Information

Alberta
British Columbia
Saskatchewan
 

References:

Bailey, L. H., Bailey, E. Z. 1976. Hortus third. Revised. MacMillan, New York, N.Y., USA. 1290 pp.

Boivin, B. 1966, 1967. Énumération des plantes du Canada. Provencheria 6. Nat. Can. (Que.) 93: 253-274; 371-437; 583-646; 989-1063. 94: 131-157; 471-528; 625-655.

Image or illustration

five-hooked bassia:

Images: images.google.com

Toxic parts:

flowers
leaves
 

References:

James, L. F., Williams, M. C., Bleak, A. T. 1976. Toxicity of Bassia hyssopifolia to sheep. J. Range Manage., 29: 284-285.

Toxic plant chemicals:

oxalate
 

References:

James, L. F., Williams, M. C., Bleak, A. T. 1976. Toxicity of Bassia hyssopifolia to sheep. J. Range Manage., 29: 284-285.

Animals/Human Poisoning:

Note: When an animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993) contained no detailed explanation.

Sheep

General symptoms of poisoning:

coma
death
gait, unsteady
incoordination
tetany
weakness
 

Notes on poisoning:

In experimental feeding of sheep, five-hooked bassia caused symptoms similar to poisoning by Kochia scoparia. In addition to the symptoms listed, hemorrhaging on the rumen surface and enlarged kidneys occurred. Calcium concentrations in the serum of five sheep dropped from an average of 10.9 mg/mL to 3.6 mg/mL. Signs of photosensitization were also noted in some of the sheep (James et al. 1976).

References:

James, L. F., Williams, M. C., Bleak, A. T. 1976. Toxicity of Bassia hyssopifolia to sheep. J. Range Manage., 29: 284-285.

Information Source: ©Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System, Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility.