Skip navigation.
New Mexico State University

Poisonous Plants

Poisonous plants continuously cause lowered production and/or cause death to livestock grazing New Mexico rangelands each year. Below are links to information available for producers that might help identify the cause and help gather information to ease the burden while managing through times of toxic episodes.

Plant Identification

  • Livestock Poisoning Plants of New Mexico Rangelands
    An excellent publication to identify the most common toxic plants on New Mexico Rangelands. Lots of general information on poisoning and more specific inforation for each individual plant. (NMSU CES Circular 531)
  • Texas Toxic Plant Database
    An excellent web-based application for identifying toxic plants by name, photo, symptoms and animals affected. By far the best resource available on the web.
  • NRCS Plants Database
    The most comprehensive online resource for information on individual plants by common or scientific name.
  • NMSU Range Science Herbarium
    The NMSU Department of Animal and Range Sciences maintains a range plant herbarium in Knox Hall on the main campus. The website maintained by the herbarium has useful information and publications, many in downloadable format.

Specific plant publications from NMSU

  • Locoweed Research - Updates and Highlights
    Some information available on what has been learned about locoweed through research conducted at NMSU. The original publication may be available through Agricultural Communications at NMSU with more detailed information lacking from the webpage here. (NMSU AES Research Report 730, March 2002)