Frequently (and not so frequently) Asked Questions
BRIEF: Can the cold weather kill off Fiddleneck?
QUESTION:
I was very fortunate in pulling my horse through Fiddleneck weed (amsinckia
intermedia) poisoning two years ago. The problem is every year I need to pull my
horse off of the pasture when the Fiddleneck weed comes back in the
springtime (since it continues to grow abundantly in the pasture where I board my
horse in the San Francisco bay area in California).
When I review the poisonous plant web page (which is GREAT I might add!), it
appears that it is the SEEDS in the flower that are poisonous. Are the green
portions of the plant fairly inert? If that is the case, I do not need to
pull my horse off of the pasture until I start to see the flower
buds.
In fact, this year, I have not seen any Fiddleneck weed thus far and wonder if
all of the cold weather (several freezing nights in a row, but no snow) has
killed off the Fiddleneck. Is this possible?
ANSWER:
I am from Northern California (just been here 4 1/2 years), so I am pretty
familiar with your fiddleneck. Unfortunately, the whole plant contains the
pyrolizidine alkaloids. Your horse recovered, but may still be sporting a little
liver damage, so please don't expose him/her to it again, if practical. The
damage tends to accumulate, although the liver can repair itself to a great
extent.
Fiddleneck thrives in recently disturbed sites, but can be outcompeted by other
species over time. Your cold weather may have
helped.