The second in my toxic plant of the week series and our naughty plant of this week is the strange-but-beautiful African Wonder Tree, perhaps more often known as the Castor Plant.
A Little About The Wonder Tree
Ricinus communis is the African Wonder Tree which is also known as Castor Bean, Castor Oil Plant & Mole Bean Plant. This is a tall annual that comes in a variety of different colorings (including black/purple & bronze/green) with large, lobed leaves and red spiny fruits
How Dangerous Is It?
Luckily this plant is generally only used in ornamental gardens or as a crop, although usually horses will find African Wonder Tree unpalatable. However, ingestion of even an ounce of seeds can be lethal to an equine so it should be removed accordingly.
Seeds are the toxic part of this plant, but they are lethal.
What To Look For
You know your animal the best, so you should know when something is amiss. African Wonder Tree initial symptoms tend to develop between 12 – 48 hours after ingestion and include loss of appetite, excessive thirst &/or sweating, weakness &/or lack of coordination, respiratory trouble, depressed nervous system and fever.
Learn More
Be sure to check out the African Wonder Tree page to learn more about the plant and while you are at it why not check out more toxic plants?
*It should be noted that I’m not a veterinarian. This information is written specifically for horses and should be used for reference purposes only. If you think your horse has eaten something toxic call your vet right away.