Adjacent Words

locoweed definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: any of several leguminous plants of western North America causing locoism in livestock [syn: locoweed, crazyweed, crazy weed]
2: street names for marijuana [syn: pot, grass, green goddess, dope, weed, gage, sess, sens, smoke, skunk, locoweed, Mary Jane]

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: 1879 any of several leguminous plants (genera Astragalus and Oxytropis) of western North America that cause locoism especially in livestock

Britannica Concise

Any of several species of poisonous plants of the genera Astragalus and Oxytropis, in the pea family (see legume), native to the prairies of N central and W N. America. These low-growing plants (up to 1.5 ft, or 45 cm, high), have variably hairy, fernlike leaves and spikes of pealike flowers. They pose a danger to grazing animals because they contain a toxin that affects muscle control, producing frenzied behavior, impaired vision, and sometimes death. Because they taste bad, livestock usually eat them only when other forage is scarce. Decaying locoweeds release toxins into the soil that are sometimes absorbed by otherwise harmless forage crops.