This message is from: Marsha Jo Hannah <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > "Gail Russell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I am hoping someone knows this one for sure. We have steered away from > all maples whose leaves turn red and all maples named acer > rubrum....because of possible toxicity to horses. Does anyone know if > the problem is only in the acer rubrum maples.
According to the October 2004 issue of EQUUS, pp.88-89, Of the hundreds of varieties of maple trees found in North America, only one---Acer rubum, called both red maple and swamp maple---has been implicated in the poisoning of horses. [...] Incidentally, other trees referred to as "red maples"---including the Japanese red maples (Acer palmatum) and the "Crimson King" cultivar of the Norway maple (Acer planatoides), which has red or maroon leaves---are not considered toxic. The article goes on to explain that the problem is complicated by hybrids between different species of maples. The article discusses several Acer rubum hybrids, and says, Although no one has studied the toxicity of these trees in particular, they too are likely to be toxic, or at least it is a wise precaution to treat them as if they are. Anthony Knight, BVSc, MRCVS Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colorado Marsha Jo Hannah Murphy must have been a horseman-- [EMAIL PROTECTED] anything that can go wrong, will! 15 mi SW of Roseburg, Oregon
