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,1 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 yandus2 that hold the water, and die. It also stupefies or kills fish, so that the natives can get them."3 As other Zygophyleae,4 at least some Zygophyllums, 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.
Tribulus platypteris
Zygophyleae
Zygophyllum
Pilbarra region, WA.
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.
Complete letter not found.
Zygophylleae?
Letter not found. The text given here is from 'Tribulus platypteris as a poison', in 'Home correspondence', Gardeners' chronicle, 29 August 1885, p. 274 (B85.08.01). Probable typesetting error: platypteris = platypterus?
Please cite as “FVM-85-07-00e,” in Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, edited by R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora†, J.H. Voigt† and Monika Wells accessed on