Oxytropis lambertii is a perennial herb producing a patch of basal leaves around the root crown, and several showy erect
inflorescences. The leaf is compound with several silvery-green leaflets. The inflorescence produces several flowers, each borne in a tubular purple or pinkish calyx of
sepals covered thinly in silver hairs. The pealike flower corolla is reddish or bluish purple with a lighter patch at the base of the banner. The fruit is a cylindrical
legume pod.
Toxic The
Oxytropis lambertii plant is one of the
locoweeds most frequently implicated in
livestock poisoning. The toxin is called
swainsonine. Research suggests that the plant itself may not be toxic, but becomes toxic when inhabited by
endophytic fungi of the genus
Embellisia, which produce swainsonine. ==See also==