Locoweed
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Locoweed is a common name in North America for any plant that produces swainsonine, an alkaloid harmful to livestock. Worldwide, swainsonine is produced by a small number of species, most of them in t
Oxytropis sericea in bloom
Astragalus lentiginosus in fruit
Swainsona galegifolia
Selenium
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Selenium is a chemical element; it has symbol Se and atomic number 34. It has various physical appearances, including a brick-red powder, a vitreous black solid, and a grey metallic-looking form. It s
Locoweed
…including many that are commonly known as locoweeds, do not produce swainsonine. Some species, including a few that produce swainsonine, accumulate selenium. This has led to confusion between swainsonine poisoning and selenium poisoning due to this genus. The first technical account (in English) of locoism…
Se Black Red
Structure of hexagonal (gray) selenium
Selenium is named after Selene, the Greek Goddess of the Moon
Native selenium in sandstone, from a uranium mine near Grants, New Mexico