Content
- Plant characteristics of the Jakobkreuzkrauts
- designations
- particulars of
- size
- Stems and leaves
- blossoms
- heyday
- root
- Occurrence
- particularity
- The ragwort is one of the dangerous poisonous plants
- Dangerous for humans and animals
- Combat on pastures necessary
- Tips
It is not so easy to determine the red ragwort
Plant characteristics of the Jakobkreuzkrauts
This yellow-flowered plant, also known as the St. Jacobs herb, has been growing massively in recent years. Poisoning by the contained alkaloids not only occurs in animals, but also pose a health risk for humans. To avoid confusion with non-toxic plants and to protect domestic animals and grazing animals, it is important that you clearly determine the ragwort and others Can distinguish plants.
Next article Which plants can be used to confound the ragwort?designations
The Jakobskreuzkraut is in the vernacular also under the name
known. The name Greiskraut bears the plant because of the white seed heads, which serve as the dandelion of the distribution of the seeds. They already show up during the flowering season. Also the Latin name of the plant Senecio means translated Greis.
particulars of
The ragwort will immediately catch your eye through its bright yellow flower heads on fallow land. On meadows and pastures, on the other hand, the poisonous plant is often only seen at second glance, as many plants that bloom in June also have yellow flowers.
size
Depending on the location, the plant reaches a size between 30 and 100 centimeters. It can even grow up to 120 centimeters under favorable conditions. In the first year, only the basic rosette with about 20 centimeters long leaves appears. Their appearance is similar to that of kale. It is not until the second year that the ragwort grows to small shrubs.
Stems and leaves
The St. Jacobs herb forms an edged, twisted and strong stem, which often shimmers reddish-brown or violet and is partially spider-hairy hairy.
The fiederteiligen (designation for a sheet, which consists of several sheets) sheets are strongly dissected and alternately arranged. They are relatively fibrous and often covered on the underside by a spiderweb-like fluff. The side peaks are at right angles. If the plant is in full bloom, the basal leaves are already withered.
Relatively unequivocally, the non-flowering ragwort can be determined by the smell of the grated leaves. They have a very unpleasant, almost nauseating smell.
blossoms
The bright yellow, 15 to 20 mm large flower heads of the daisy family are in upright Doldentrauben. They resemble daisy flowers in their construction. Around the inner disc-shaped wreath are 13 petals. However, the number of these may vary as with all daisy family.
The bud cover consists of 13 shell leaves with a black tip and two close-fitting outer shell leaves.
heyday
The St. Jacobs herb blooms from June to August.
root
The St. Jacobs herb forms a strong and deep tap root with numerous fine fiber roots.
Occurrence
The ragwort grows to heights of about 1000 meters. It prefers dry, moderately nutrient-rich, loamy clay soils. It prefers to settle on rarely mowed agricultural areas, on path, road and railway embankments and on fallow land.
particularity
In the spring the Jakobsgreiskraut is settled frequently by the black-yellow caterpillars of the Jakobskrautbären. Specialized in the host plant, the caterpillars are not damaged by the toxins ingested, but are themselves inedible for other animals. Based on the appearance of these caterpillars, the plant can be reliably determined.
The ragwort is one of the dangerous poisonous plants
All parts of the plant contain the toxins Jacobin and Senecionin. The highest concentration of poison contains young plants and flowers. The toxins also remain active in hay and silage.
The poison of the Jakobsgreiskrauts is metabolized in the liver and does not directly toxic. The alkaloids also enter the food chain via the food chain. These have already been detected in eggs, milk, honey and chamomile tea.
Dangerous for humans and animals
Despite the fact that the ragwort is not found in the list of poisonous plants, it is very dangerous for animals and humans. Horses and cattle are very vulnerable and die in acute poisoning within days. They refuse food, lose weight rapidly and get bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms of poisoning are obvious lethargy, which alternates with sudden nervousness. Sheep, pigs and other mammals are less sensitive to the toxins, but they can also die if fed regularly with contaminated hay.
Combat on pastures necessary
Since the ragwort is avoided by animals, it can spread rapidly under favorable conditions. Therefore, it is recommended to control the plant on pastures immediately and purposefully. It is important to ensure that the St. Jacobs herb does not come to bloom, because the small Samenschirmchen spread for miles and remain germinable for years. Red ragweed can be combated both biologically and chemically.
Tips
Animals have good instincts and often do not eat poisonous plants. In addition, the fresh Jakobsgreiskraut tastes very bitter. However, dry plant parts in the hay are extremely dangerous because the animals can not separate the poisonous plant here. A poisoning can be creeping and inevitably leads to the death of the animal.