RUMINATIONS

 Dutifully doing due diligence I sought to discover why Delphiniums are deemed to be poisonous and Larkspurs lethal.
   They are not mentioned in the American Medical Association "Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants". Not in the 1985 edition nor in the revised 2002 edition.
 Both are indicted in Sick Kids' "Information for Families - Plant Safety"
   There is a level of discomfort in finding fault with an institution that does such laudable work in the care of our chidren but I fear that they have strayed beyond their mandate of human medicine and into veterinary science.
   Delphinium species grow in abundance on the Great Plains and westward.
They are usually divided into low larkspurs and tall larkspurs. The tall larkspurs favouring higher elevations from the Rockies to the Pacific.It was complaints from ranchers who were suffering great losses to their large herds that spurred (yes,I know) The U.S. Department of Agriculture to initiate a full study of the prairie flora. Dangers abound for sheep, horses and cattle. Not just the larkspurs but all the loco weeds, St. John's Wort and sleepy grass.
   The first of a cow's four stomachs, the rumen, is like a 50 gallon vat alive with bacteria and other micro-organisms that break down plant cellulose to a form that the animal can digest.  This process results in a great deal of gas and if the cow can't belch she is in big trouble.  Larkspurs appear to disrupt this normal activity and can result in the gases being trapped to the extent that the rumen explodes. The condition is referred to as bloat.
   While still ruminating on this intriguing subject I should not neglect to thank the people at Sick Kids' for alerting us to the perils of Delphiniums. Without their help we might never have known.
   As long as your children can still belch they will probably be fine.