Fumewort – Toxic Plant of the Week

Fumewort
We’ve reached the end of the F’s in the a-z of plants your horse can’t eat and next week we move on to the G’s. Today’s plant grows all over and looks very unassuming, but while Fumewort are a common sight, they are incredibly dangerous little buggers!

A Little About Fumewort

Corydalis solida is also called Fumewort, Spring Fumewort and Scrambled Eggs Plant. This plant has a pale, leafy stem and leaves which are in deeply divided segments. Flowers are spurred at the base, yellow/pink/white/blue/purple and grow in clusters.

How Dangerous Is It?

This plant is unpalatable to horses and is generally only a problem during drought conditions. Not as common as some of the other toxic plants, this one contains alkaloids which are incredibly toxic to the system.

All parts of this plant are toxic and can be fatal to equines.

Fumewort

Image from AnneTanne

What To Look For

You know your animal the best, so you should know when something is amiss. Fumewort toxicity symptoms include muscle spasms, excitability, distressed breathing, loss of coordination, convulsions, diarrhea and slowing of respiratory and cardiac function.

Learn More

Be sure to check out the Fumewort page to learn more about the plant and while you are at it why not check out more toxic plants?

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*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.