Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Friday - December 04, 2015
From: Selah, WA
Region: Northwest
Topic: Poisonous Plants, Trees
Title: Non-toxic trees for cattle, horses and swine in Washington state.
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
What non-toxic trees can be planted in cattle pastures in Central Washington? We also have horses and swine on the property.ANSWER:
First of all, I suggest that you go to our list of Washington Recommended plants and use the NARROW YOUR SEARCH option and choose "Tree" from the General Appearance slot. This will give you a list of 37 trees in Washington that should be commerically available. Many of those, however, are toxic to livestock. Using the following databases for plants toxic to livestock I selected several from the Washington Recommend list that are NOT toxic to livestock that you could use in your pastures.
- Plants That Are Poisonous to Horses and Livestock from the Spokane County, Washington.
- Plants Poisonous to Horses and Livestock from Grant and Lincoln Counties, Washington.
- Plants Poisonous to Livestock in the Western States from the USDA Agricultural Research Service
- Livestock Poisoning Plants of California from University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources
- Selected Poisonous Plants of the Pacific Northwest from Washington State University Extension
- Cornell University—Plants Poisonous to Livestock
- Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List – Horses from
- Top 5 Trees Poisonous to Large Animals from DVM360. They are Acer rubrum (Red maple)—occurs naturally in Oregon and the eastern 2/3 of the US according to the USDA Plants Database distribution map, Quercus (oak) species, Acer negundo (Box elder), Prunus virginiana (Chokecherry) and Juglans nigra (Black walnut)—occurs naturally in the eastern 2/3 of the US according to the USDA Plants Database distribution map.
The trees on the list that you could consider for your pasture are:
Betula occidentalis (Mountain birch)
Betula papyrifera (Paper birch)
Chrysolepis chrysophylla var. chrysophylla (Giant chinkapin) Here are photos and more information from Hansen's Northwest Plants Database.
Fraxinus latifolia (Oregon ash) Here are photos and more information from Washington Native Plant Society.
Larix occidentalis (Western larch) Here are photos and more information from Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture.
Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa (Black cottonwood) Here are photos and more information from Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture.
Populus tremuloides (Quaking aspen)
Umbellularia californica (California laurel)
From the Image Gallery
More Trees Questions
Existing live oak taking over in Monahans TX
March 22, 2011 - I have just purchased a home with a huge Live Oak tree in the front yard. The previous owners have over the years allowed the sucker roots to grow unchecked. The tree is shading most of the lawn (di...
view the full question and answer
Control of live oak suckers by cutting
July 23, 2007 - How do I control the Live Oak root suckers? At the moment we are cutting them as they come out of the ground.
view the full question and answer
Sap oozing from trunks of Cherry Laurels in Austin, TX
January 24, 2015 - I have several mature compact cherry laurels whose leaves are beginning to turn yellow. They are in raised beds, have been properly fertilized, have compost spread around them, and are properly water...
view the full question and answer
Opinion of 5 best native garden plants in Oklahoma from Burneyville OK
September 07, 2013 - What would you say are the 3 to 5 BEST native garden plants for south central Oklahoma?
view the full question and answer
Allelopathy in Sassafras albidum
January 11, 2012 - Sassafras albidum description says
"Sassafras is allelopathic and can discourage the growth of certain other plants within its root zone."
My question is: WHICH plants are susce...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |