We are well into the alphabet in the a-z of plants your horse can’t eat. Today’s plant sounds as if it should be some fabulous French cooking secret, but you definitely don’t want to sprinkle Herb Paris over your horse’s dinner.
A Little About Herb Paris
Paris quadrifolia is also called Herb Paris and True Lover’s Knot. This is a perennial with a fleshy rootstock and leaves with four points. Flowers are green/white and grow solitary. Fruit is a purple/black berry. This plant is notable because it stinks.
How Dangerous Is It?
This plant is unpalatable and smells horrible so it is only a threat during extreme drought conditions. However it contains highly toxic saponines and grazers should be kept away from it.
All parts of this plant are toxic (concentrated in the fruit) and can be fatal to equines.
What To Look For
You know your animal the best, so you should know when something is amiss. Herb Paris toxicity symptoms include gastrointestinal upset, colic, contracted pupils and failure of cardiac and respiratory systems.
Learn More
Be sure to check out the Herb Paris 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.