The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: ¶ As it seems not to be known that any species of Tribulus have poisonous effects, it may be worthy of notice that Mr. Henry Cooke informs me of poison cases on his sheep-run at the Ashburton River, ...

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Physical location:

85.07.00e

Plant names

Tribulus platypteris
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Zygophyleae
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Zygophyllum
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Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to the Gardeners' Chronicle, 1885-07 [85.07.00e]. R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora, J.H. Voigt and Monika Wells (eds), Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, <https://vmcp.rbg.vic.gov.au/id/85-07-00e>, accessed September 10, 2025

Letter not found. The text given here is from ' as a poison', in 'Home correspondence', Gardeners' chronicle , 29 August 1885, p. 274 (B85.08.01). Probable typesetting error: platypteris = platypterus?

As it seems not to be known that any species of Tribulus have poisonous effects, it may be worthy of notice that Mr. Henry Cooke informs me of poison cases on his sheep-run at the Ashburton River,

Pilbarra region, WA.

ascribed to this plant. This gentleman writes as follows :— "I have sheep constantly dying in the neighbourhood where it is growing. It will kill pigeons, as the natives in their wild state steep the bark in water and lay it close to springs; the birds then come and drink out of the yandus

Typesetters' error for yandies? ' Yandy, tjardoo : Long shallow oval dish, of wood sometimes, but now almost always of sheet-iron': glossary of Pilbari words in a documentary novel by D. Stuart (1959), p. 158.

that hold the water, and die. It also stupefies or kills fish, so that the natives can get them."

Complete letter not found.

As other ,

Zygophylleae?

at least some s, have proved poisonous to pastoral animals both in South Africa and various places in Australia, we can hardly doubt that species of Tribulus are deleterious also. To overcome this difficulty in North-Western Australia, I have sent seeds of the Teosinte, which giant grass I first introduced into the Australian colonies and Polynesia, and which on the Ashburton River would thrive to perfection, so as to soon overpower the Tribulus.

Ferd. von Mueller .