Senecio ilicifolius | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Asterales |
Family: | Asteraceae |
Genus: | Senecio |
Species: | S. ilicifolius |
Binomial name | |
Senecio ilicifolius | |
Synonyms | |
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Senecio ilicifolius is a plant endemic to South Africa and belonging to the family Asteraceae.
It is found in the Eastern and Western Cape growing up to 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) tall, and readily identified by its rigid holly-like leaves. [1] Its leaves are clasping, adnate and somewhat decurrent at the base, acute, sharply and coarsely toothed with revolute margins, glabrous and scabrous-dotted above, whitish felted below. [2]
Senecio species are a rich source of alkaloids and 'Meyler's Side Effects of Herbal Medicines' lists S. ilicifolius as producing pterophine and senecionine. Senecionine (C18H25O5N) is toxic and problematic for feed stock and human consumption, causing cirrhosis of the liver, [3] has a melting point of 232° and is only slightly soluble in water. It is not destroyed by the baking of bread from flour using contaminated wheat. [4] [5] [6]
In this short paper attention is called to a disease of human beings in South Africa which is attributed to Senecio poisoning; on account of the resemblance between it and the conditions found in domesticated animals and attributed to the same origin the matter is of special interest. In 1918 certain cases of sickness of obscure causation in the George district of the Cape Province were brought to the notice of the Union Government Health Department. Whole families had suffered from time to time from a complaint, the chief symptoms of which were abdominal pain and vomiting, with ascites. It was suggested that the disease was of dietetic origin and samples of meal and wheat that had been made into bread and eaten for some time by affected persons were examined. It was found that the plants known as Senecio ilicifolius and S. burchelli grow as weeds in the wheat fields at George, and that when the wheat is threshed the seeds and portions of these plants frequently remain behind and are sold with the wheat. When the old-fashioned system of milling, with incomplete winnowing, is adopted these seeds are also ground with the wheat grains into meal. The investigators had in mind similar diseases in stock which were regarded as having been conclusively associated with plants of the same species.
— Senecio Disease, or Cirrhosis of the Liver, Due to Senecio Poisoning. - Willmot, Frederick C.; Robertson, George W. - South African Medical Record 1920 Vol.18 No.18 pp.346-348 pp.
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Echium plantagineum, commonly known as purple viper's-bugloss or Patterson's curse, is a species of the genus Echium native to western and southern Europe, northern Africa, and southwestern Asia. It has also been introduced to Australia, South Africa, and United States, where it is an invasive weed. Due to a high concentration of pyrrolizidine alkaloids, it is poisonous to grazing livestock, especially those with simple digestive systems, such as horses.
Heliotropium is a genus of flowering plants traditionally included in the family Boraginaceae s.l., but placed in the family Heliotropiaceae within the Boraginales order, by the Boraginales Working Group.. There are around 325 species in this almost cosmopolitan genus, which are commonly known as heliotropes. They are highly toxic to dogs and cats, as well as to humans.
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), sometimes referred to as necine bases, are a group of naturally occurring alkaloids based on the structure of pyrrolizidine. Their use dates back centuries and is intertwined with the discovery, understanding, and eventual recognition of their toxicity on humans and animals.
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The Faculty of Veterinary Science is a faculty of the University of Pretoria. Founded in 1920, it is the second oldest veterinary faculty in Africa. With the exception of the faculties in Khartoum, and Cairo, all the other African faculties were established after 1960. It is the only one of its kind in South Africa and is one of 33 veterinary faculties in Africa.
Conium maculatum, known as hemlock, or poison hemlock is a highly poisonous flowering plant in the carrot family Apiaceae, native to Europe and North Africa. It is herbaceous without woody parts and has a biennial lifecycle. A hardy plant capable of living in a variety of environments, hemlock is widely naturalised in locations outside its native range, such as parts of Australia, West Asia, and North and South America, to which it has been introduced. It is capable of spreading and thereby becoming an invasive weed.
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Pyrrolizidine alkaloidosis is a disease caused by chronic poisoning found in humans and other animals caused by ingesting poisonous plants which contain the natural chemical compounds known as pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Pyrrolizidine alkaloidosis can result in damage to the liver, kidneys, heart, brain, smooth muscles, lungs, DNA, lesions all over the body, and could be a potential cause of cancer. Pyrrolizidine alkaloidosis is known by many other names such as "Pictou Disease" in Canada and "Winton Disease" in New Zealand. Cereal crops and forage crops can sometimes become polluted with pyrrolizidine-containing seeds, resulting in the alkaloids contaminating flour and other foods, including milk from cows feeding on these plants.
Riddelliine is a chemical compound classified as a pyrrolizidine alkaloid. It was first isolated from Senecio riddellii and is also found in a variety of plants including Jacobaea vulgaris, Senecio vulgaris, and others plants in the genus Senecio.
Senecio hispidulus, the hill fireweed or rough groundsel, is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family. It is found in many parts of Australia.
Amphistomiasis is a parasitic disease of livestock animals, more commonly of cattle and sheep, and humans caused by immature helminthic flatworms belonging to the order Echinostomida. The term amphistomiasis is used for broader connotation implying the disease inflicted by members of Echinostomida including the family Paramphistomidae/Gastrodiscidae ; whereas paramphistomiasis is restricted to that of the members of the family Paramphistomidae only. G. discoides and Watsonius watsoni are responsible for the disease in humans, while most paramphistomes are responsible in livestock animals, and some wild mammals. In livestock industry the disease causes heavy economic backlashes due to poor production of milk, meat and wool.
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