Poisonous Plants of Kansas

One of the challenges faced by veterinarians, extension specialists and farmers when determining if poisonous plants are a possible cause of disease or death in animals, is establishing whether or not the plants that may cause poisoning are present. These pages contain county distribution information for over 140 Kansas plant species known to be potentially poisonous to animals. The information can be searched by county, and/or by the major organ system affected, to produce a shortlist of plants to look for when investigating cases of suspected poisoning.


Disclaimer
Although these pages contain poisonous plant distribution information based on the latest available data from the Kansas State University Herbarium ( http://www.k-state.edu/herbarium ), plant distribution is not static over time. Suitable herbarium collections are also not complete for all counties and for all species. Distribution maps should be interpreted in light of these limitations, and the data should be used as an aid to indicate patterns of distribution, rather than the absolute presence/absence of any particular plant species. The clinical signs of plant poisoning can be variable and depend on many factors, such as the amount of plant material ingested, the toxin concentration in the consumed plants, and the species, age and physiological state of the affected animal. Descriptions of typical poisoning syndromes should therefore be used only as guidelines, and not to make specific diagnoses. Conclusions drawn from these data as aids to diagnosing plant poisonings are the responsibility of the user.
 

Important technical note: If the map application malfunctions during use, please clear your browser's cache and then revisit this page to launch it again.