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Flower
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Desert Baileya
(Baileya multiradiata)
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Description
Desert baileya is an annual or weak perennial herb of
the sunflower family. This plant grows to a height of
1 to 1.5 feet. Flowers are yellow, with showy heads
on long stalks arising from a leafy base. Leaves are
alternately arranged along the stem, entire to pinnately
divided, and covered with woolly hairs. Desert baileya
flowers from spring through late fall.
Distribution and Habitat
Desert baileya is generally
confined to desert regions from Texas to southern California
and south into Mexico. The plant is most often found on
sandy and gravelly soils and dry plains and mesas up to
5,000 feet in elevation. It is also common on disturbed
areas such as roadsides.
Regions: 7, 10.
Toxic Agent
The toxic agent is an unknown
water-soluble compound. All parts of a green or dried
plant are poisonous, with the flowers and seed heads being
more toxic than the leaves. Sheep, goats and rabbits are
susceptible experimentally to desert baileya poisoning,
although under range conditions poisoning has been limited
to sheep. Feeding trials suggest 16 to 65 pounds of either
dry or green desert baileya will be lethal to a full-grown
sheep. Although sheep will eat baileya more readily when
range feed is scarce, this plant has been grazed extensively
when ample green grass was available. Sheep apparently
relish the flowers and seed heads.
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Livestock Symptoms
The first symptom in sheep
is a frothy green salivation, followed by extreme weakness,
rapid heart beat and trembling of the limbs. Under range
conditions, poisoned animals may trail the flock with
a stiff gait and show marked weakness. Other symptoms
include:
- trembling and loss of appetite
- standing with arched back
- lying down and refusing to move when
approached
Integrated Management Strategies
The first management strategy to consider is
to graze problem areas only with cattle. Sheep and goats
should be removed from infested pastures as soon as
poisoning is noticed. Animals should then be furnished
with supplemental feed and good quality water and kept
quiet. Sheep poisoned by desert baileya may refuse to
eat for a few days, but most will regain their appetite
and a large percentage will recover. Losses from desert
baileya generally occur when other feed is short or
sheep are trailed or driven through dense stands. Since
the flowers and seed heads are fairly palatable to sheep,
these animals cannot be grazed in pastures containing
dense stands of desert baileya. Sheep losses from this
plant in Presidio county were between $50,000 and $100,00
annually in 1958 and 1959. Chemical and mechanical controls
tend to be impractical. Losses can best be minimized
through good livestock management.
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