Poison Peach
Poison Peach
Name: Trema tomentosa, previously Trema aspera
Description: An evergreen shrub or small tree up to about 7.5 m high. The leaves are light green, ovate, 2-8 cm long, 1-3 cm wide, spreading out horizontally in one plane, but usually with a tendency to droop. The flowers are inconspicuous and small (3-4mm). Black, fleshy berries may be present during fruiting.
Distribution and Habitat: Eastern and Northern Australia, frequently distributed in coastal or near coastal regions. Widespread in rainforest margins, in moist sclerophyll forest and in softwood scrub. The plant regrows vigorously after land clearing.
Toxin: Trematoxin, a glycoside of unknown composition. Recorded as being toxic to ruminants, horses, deer and camels, but it is not usually eaten except under dry conditions. Heavy mortalities frequently occur in cattle newly introduced to country carrying poison peach, and there appears to be no regular seasonal pattern of toxicity of any consistent association with soil type or time of year.
Effects of Toxicity: Liver damage (periacinar necrosis).
Clinical Signs: Most animals show symptoms on the 2nd or 3rd day post introduction to affected areas. Early symptoms are a tendency to lie down, loss of appetite and slightly increased salivation. Depression, ruminal stasis, abdominal pain and coma are often the following signs. Anorexia, recumbency, coma and death within 24hrs +/- jaundice, muscle tremors, shallow jerky respiration, hyperexcitability, increased aggression, mania, blindness, lack of response to external stimuli and convulsions may also be exhibited.
Most animals die within 3 days of exposure.
Pathology: Haemorrhages under the membranes of the heart (myocardial, subendocardial and subepicardial) and under the skin and serous membranes enclosing the abdominal organs. Frequently, inflammation in the abomasum and the proximal portion of the small intestine, congestion of the lungs and mottling of the liver due to congestion can be noted.
Diagnosis: Pathology and plant access.
Treatment: No treatments are known to be effective for animals poisoned by this plant. Although cattle sometimes eat it without ill effect, the factors governing toxicity are not known; therefore it must be regarded as potentially poisonous at anytime.
Prevention: Deny access