# Death Camas



## Bob Jones (Aug 21, 2009)

There is a plant that looks like a wild onion which is a poison to the nerves, I think it is called Death Camas.

There is also a plant with a bunch of large trumpet flowers that is supposed to be a form of lsd or something, that I keep them away from.


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## Jake Levi (Jun 9, 2011)

I have been seeing Camas as a poison plant in different books, but havent seen any pics or descriptions yet. 

Is it just Camas or Death Camas? I am not familiar with it in any place I have lived but understand it is endemic to both Wa and Id. 

What is the actual name so I can look it up?


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## Jake Levi (Jun 9, 2011)

Heres one ref, I found a couple with better pics, this has good text:

http://www.elzorrocolorado.com/pacaheal ... camas.html


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## Jake Levi (Jun 9, 2011)

Another good ref but with excellent pics:

http://montana.plant-life.org/species/zigaden_vene.htm


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## Rex (Nov 30, 2008)

Jake said:


> I have been seeing Camas as a poison plant in different books, but havent seen any pics or descriptions yet.
> 
> Is it just Camas or Death Camas? I am not familiar with it in any place I have lived but understand it is endemic to both Wa and Id.
> 
> What is the actual name so I can look it up?


The regular Camas is dug and eaten by the native people in this area of Idaho.


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## Bwana Ken (May 9, 2011)

It sounds like an animal (i.e. goat) would need to eat quite a bit of Death Camas before it would have a toxic effect. As opportunistic grazers it seems unlikely that goats would eat enough to have fatal results unless it was growing in their pasture.

Rex lives the area known as the "Camas Prairie" where I'm sure Death Camas (along with all the other varieties) is pretty common. Since he hasn't had a lot to say on this subject I'm guessing it's not something worth losing sleep over.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

there was a large blume of Death Camas this year here. i have seen several of my sheep showing signs of eating it. weakness in the knees lethargic. normally they lag behind for a few days then show up again.
onion and camas is at times confused and can kill humans too. watch the flower onion flower is like a fire work camas has a peddle to its flower

lupine is another plant that you should be aware of. most of the time it is no problem but if you get a late snow may or June the only thing above the snow will be lupine. I have heard of times that there has been 100+ deaths in one herd from lupine after a late snow. if it snows in May or June i do not turn my stock out until the snow has melted.


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## IceDog (Aug 1, 2010)

> There is also a plant with a bunch of large trumpet flowers that is supposed to be a form of lsd or something, that I keep them away from.


I'm guessing you're referring to Jimsonweed.

Cheryl in Idaho


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## Bob Jones (Aug 21, 2009)

Yeah, that's it.

Though some of the Indians have used it in sweat houses, a guy a few years ago tried it and cut his tongue off with garden shears. Goats are whacky enough without eating this stuff.

"In 1676, British soldiers were sent to stop the Rebellion of Bacon. Jamestown weed (Jimsonweed) was boiled for inclusion in a salad, which the soldiers readily ate. The hallucinogenic properties of jimsonweed took affect.

"As told by Robert Beverly in The History and Present State of Virginia (1705): The soldiers presented "a very pleasant comedy, for they turned natural fools upon it for several days: one would blow up a feather in the air; another would dart straws at it with much fury; and another, stark naked, was sitting up in a corner like a monkey, grinning and making mows at them; a fourth would fondly kiss and paw his companions, and sneer in their faces with a countenance more antic than any in a Dutch droll.

""In this frantic condition they were confined, lest they should, in their folly, destroy themselves - though it was observed that all their actions were full of innocence and good nature. Indeed they were not very cleanly; for they would have wallowed in their own excrements, if they had not been prevented. A thousand such simple tricks they played, and after 11 days returned themselves again, not remembering anything that had passed."

Imagine...baby sitting a whacked goat for 11 days if it doesn't kill him first.


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## IceDog (Aug 1, 2010)

My M-I-L gave me a Moon Plant (later we learned it was jimsonweed) for our new house many many years ago when I lived in SLC. We had it for years, and it spread! When we learned of the hallucinogenic properties  (of the seeds as I recall) we spent a good while eradicating it from our yard! They kept sprouting from seed for years if I recall correctly!


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## Rex (Nov 30, 2008)

IceDog said:


> My M-I-L gave me a Moon Plant (later we learned it was jimsonweed) for our new house many many years ago when I lived in SLC. We had it for years, and it spread! When we learned of the hallucinogenic properties  (of the seeds as I recall) They kept sprouting from seed for years if I recall correctly!


Your memory sounds like it was a little fuzzy during that time period??? :shock:


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## IceDog (Aug 1, 2010)

> Your memory sounds like it was a little fuzzy during that time period???


The fuzzy memory is a more recent development!


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## Jake Levi (Jun 9, 2011)

*Re: Death Camas/Fuzzy Memory*

Theres a lot of that going around.


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## Bob Jones (Aug 21, 2009)

What were we talking about? ;-)


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## Jake Levi (Jun 9, 2011)

Camas causing short attention span , I think. 

Or was it jimson???


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## gsbswf (Apr 5, 2009)

> As opportunistic grazers it seems unlikely that goats would eat enough to have fatal results unless it was growing in their pasture.


I have a goat that will just about run past every other delicious green thing out there to get to locoweed or lupine (and larkspur up in the mountains). We have a rock climbing (for goats) area that we don't even go to anymore because of the locoweed. We used to try and get there outside of the growing season for it, but with the crazy rain and mild summer, I didn't even bother trying this year.

Many poisonous plants are considered palatable to some level, and some, like locoweed, are often preferred. Goats are especially vulnerable because of their love of leafy greens. I know that a foot tall green locoweed in a sage desert with barley anything else looks pretty darn appetizing to me. I have given up on trying to stop him in the pasture, I just figure the more I let him eat of it early on, the less it has a chance to grow and it will produce less seed pods (the most poisonous part for alkaloids). We just don't have enough around the pasture to worry about him eating a whole lot at one time.

As is so often the case when I get on a subject like this, I just read a research paper on lupine alkaloids in sheep, and although the paper was about using dietary supplements (which had no beneficial or negative effects on the alkaloids in their system) it did say that alkaloid absorption and elimination was strongly correlated to body condition. That would track well with what "fivemoremiles" said about the lupine and sheep on winter range resulting in large doses during periods of poorer body condition. It also means that my fat butt goat Teddy is probably safe with the small amounts he gets.


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