Tansy Mustard
Descurainia pinnata
Brassicaceae
Description
Tansy mustard is an annual cool- season forb growing to 2 feet tall. It is usually single stemmed, leafy and covered with fine, gray hairs.
Leaves are placed alternately along wavy stems, with each divided into many small segments.
Flowers vary from yellow to whitish, occurring in long clusters at stem ends. Plants flower in February through May.
Habitat
Tansy mustard is distributed widely throughout the southern and western United states up to 7000 feet in elevation. Heavy stands may form on dry, sandy soils in arid areas. Abundance increases after moderate or heavy winter rains in the arid southwest.
Toxic Agent
The toxic agent is unknown. Large quantities of the plant must be consumed before poisoning occurs. Tansy mustard also accumulates toxic levels of nitrate.
Signs of Livestock Ingestion
Cattle are the only kind of livestock reported to be poisoned. The first clinical sign is partial or complete blindness (blind staggers). Animals wander aimlessly until exhausted, or may stand pushing their head against a solid object for hours.
next, or along with the blindness, comes an inability to use the tongue or to swallow (paralyzed tongue). Cattle may stand at water unable to drink, or try unsuccessfully to graze.
Management Strategies
A simple and effective treatment to administer 2 to 3 gallons of water (With nourishment such as cottonseed meals if the animals are seriously weak) twice daily by stomach tube. With this treatment, clinical signs gradually disappear.
tansy mustard is relatively non-toxic, so moderate amounts may be desirable. Furthermore, stands thick enough to lead to the heavy consumption necessary for poisoning do not appear every year. Because of this, herbicidal control is not recommended except where dense stands occur near watering and holding facilities and other areas of high livestock use.
Good range management practices and grazing of mixture of cattle, sheep and/or goats may help prevent excessive intake by cattle.
Images
Plant Characteristics
Flower Color: Yellow
Seed Type: Bean/Pod
Duration: Annual, Biennual
Stem Texture: Hairy
Growth Habit: Forbs/Broadleaf
Leaf Shape
: Simple Pinnately Lobed
Season: Cool
Distribution
: 02 - Gulf Prairies and Marshes, 03 - Post Oak Savannah, 04 - Blackland Prairies, 05 - Cross Timbers and Prairies, 06 - South Texas Plains, 07 - Edwards Plateau, 08 - Rolling Plains, 09 - High Plains, 10 - Trans-Pecos
Distributions
Distribution refers to the ecological region in Texas that a plant has been found. You can also view a clickable map.
Book: Toxic Plants of Texas (B-6105)
Collection: Toxics, Wild Flowers
Livestock Affected: Cattle
Livestock Signs: Blindness, Continuous Walking, Nitrate Poisoning, Pushing On Objects, Running Into Objects, Unable To Eat/Drink
