Native Plants

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Thursday - March 12, 2015

From: Sacramento, CA
Region: California
Topic: Non-Natives, Poisonous Plants, Cacti and Succulents
Title: Agave attenuata Poisonous?
Answered by: Anne Van Nest

QUESTION:

Is Agave attenuata (foxtail agave) poisonous to horses or humans?

ANSWER:

Poisonous Plants fo California by Thomas C. Fuller lists Agave attenuata (native to Mexico) as having toxic sap of the leaves or inflorescence. The toxins are identified as a hemolytic sapogenin, an acrid volatile oil, oxalic acid, and oxalates. Fuller says that the fresh juice of the plant is cathartic and a diuretic. He also says that the juice of the leaf and particularly the outer layers of the leaf are highly irritant to the skin.