Welcome to another weekly edition of the a-z of plants your horse can’t eat. Today’s plant is generally only found in ornamental planting & not readily available to horses, but Kafir Lilies are as toxic as they are lovely.
A Little About Kafir Lilies
Clivia miniata is also called Bush Lily or Kafir Lily. This is a perennial bulb with dark green strap shaped leaves that arise from a fleshy stem. Flowers are orange (yellow is rare), trumpet shaped & grow in a cluster at the end of the stem.
How Dangerous Is It?
Most horses won’t have access to an ornamental plant like this, plus it’s not palatable & rarely a problem unless conditions are bad. However, it contains a lycorine alkaloid which makes the whole plant toxic to horses.
All parts of this plant are toxic & can be fatal to equines.
What To Look For
You know your animal the best, so you should know when something is amiss. Kafir Lily toxicity symptoms include gastrointestinal upset, diarrhea, excessive salivation, colic, collapse & paralysis.
Learn More
Be sure to check out the Kafir Lily page to learn more about the plant & while you are at it why not check out more toxic plants?
*It should be noted that we’re not veterinarians. This information is written specifically for horses & should be used for reference purposes only. If you think your horse has eaten something toxic call your vet right away.
Came across your blog while searching the internet just now. I’m always interested to read about what horses get up to. Here in Mongolia where I have 17 horses I use on our backcountry horse trips, there are no fences, and livestock moves around at will. One of my favorite pastimes is to just hang with the herd and watch them eat. A great way to spend a lazy day as they move around the forest pastures that surround our cabins. It’s amazing how agile they are at moving grasses and herbs around with their upper lip and getting just the grass species they have a taste for that day. The Mongolian Lily, a very beautiful wildflower has not been on their menu, although it is carved in my saddle. With more than 2,000 foraging grasses and herbs, the horses here are real connoisseur’s of the green stuff. The pastures are salad bars and medicine cabinets all in one.