AUBURN, Ala. – During droughts, livestock are tempted to eat anything green. While grasses dry up, some poisonous plants can survive the dry weather. Perilla mint is one of the most dangerous.
Perilla mint is found throughout the South in pastures, fields and along roadsides. The leaves of perilla mint make the plant look attractive. Leaves are egg shaped and purple or green tinged with purple. The toxic element in perilla mint is perilla ketone. This toxin causes fluids to collect in and around the lungs in a variety of animals. Most cases are in cattle and horses.
Dr. Joyce Tredaway Ducar, an Alabama Extension weed scientist, said that livestock will only eat perilla mint under certain conditions. Learn more about perilla mint and the threat it poses to livestock in this story from ExtensionDaily.com.