Poisoning in horses of Stinging Nettle in Horse Pastures is a symptom of an Allergy in Horses.

I am worried that a weed that grows on my property may be horse nettle, and I would like to know more about what this plant can do and how to identify it.I know it is poisonous for horses, but how much do they need to eat to be harmful?Is there more than one effect?

The Carolina horsenettle or bull nettle is found in most of the contiguous United States, but especially in the Central and Eastern states.

The plant grows up to two feet tall with an erect, branching structure and leaves can be four to six inches long with irregular wavy or lobed margins.The leaves and stems are covered with prickly hairs.The flowers are three-quarters to one inch across and range from light purple, blue, and white.The plant produces round, tomato-like berries that are half an inch in diameter and change from green to yellow as they mature.

Horse nettle, like many plants in the nightshade family, has a substance called solanine that irritates the oral and gastric mucosa and affects the nervous system.The GI system is affected by the act of the glycoalkaloids.If horse nettle is eaten in large quantities, these signs may be followed by depression, weakness, depressed respiration, dilated pupils, collapse and death.