Gelsemium sempervirens is toxic to horses. The reported severity is critical. Also known as Yellow Jessamine.
If your animal ate this plant, call your veterinarian, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control on (888) 426-4435 or the Pet Poison Helpline on (855) 764-7661. Fees may apply.
Weakness Seizures Respiratory Failure Difficulty Breathing Respiratory Paralysis Tremors
The color of each symptom follows the severity scale above.
Gelsemium sempervirens is a twining vine in the family Gelsemiaceae, native to subtropical and tropical America: Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, Mexico, and southeastern and south-central United States. It has a number of common names including yellow jessamine or confederate jessamine or jasmine, Carolina jasmine or jessamine, evening trumpetflower, gelsemium and woodbine.
All parts of this plant contain the toxic strychnine-related alkaloids gelsemine and gelseminine and should not be consumed. The sap may cause skin irritation in sensitive individuals. Children, mistaking this flower for honeysuckle, have been poisoned by sucking the nectar from the flower. The nectar is also toxic to honeybees, which may cause brood death when gathered by the bees. The nectar may, however, be beneficial to bumblebees. It has been shown that bumblebees fed on gelsemine have a reduced load of Crithidia bombi in their fecal matter after 7 days, although this difference was not significant after 10 days. Reduced parasite load increases foraging efficiency, and pollinators may selectively collect otherwise toxic secondary metabolites as a means of self-medication. The plant can be lethal to livestock.
Also recorded as Carolina jasmine, Carolina jessamine, Carolina yellow jessamine, evening trumpet-flower, gelsemium and woodbine.
More plants with critical severity:
Countries with the most wild observations, from GBIF data.