EXTRA INFO ON INKBERRY:

2010 AND 2011:
INKBERRY:

Cestrum Laevigatum

Description
It is a much-branched shrub or tree, growing 6-15 m high in coastal regions, but inland, in areas like the Free State and the Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa, it usually attains a height of 1-2 m. The dark to light-green leaves are about 50 mm wide and are easily bruised, emitting an unpleasant pungent odour. The small, greenish-yellow, tubular, sweet smelling flowers, 5-25 mm long, are borne in clusters mostly at the tips of branches. Later greenish berries, (10 mmX5mm), develop turning deep purple-black as they ripen. The plant usually bears its flowers and berries during June and July, the winter months

Distribution:
Cestrum laevigatum seems to occur over a large part of eastern South Africa. Cestrum spp. IS native to South America and were introduced into southern Africa as evergreen ornamental shrubs, hedges and sometimes as windbreaks. They are now troublesome weeds.

Conditions of poisoning:
In South Africa, field outbreaks of Cestrum poisoning have been reported only in cattle. Cattle graze less selectively than other species and will eat the plant readily, especially during droughts and winter, a time when grazing is scarce.
Poisoning can best be prevented by keeping cattle away from areas where the plant grows, especially during the months of June and July when it is most toxic.

Clinical signs
The principle clinical signs include salivation, lacrimation, sunken and staring eyes, arched back, signs of abdominal pain (restlessness, grinding of the teeth, groaning, kicking at abdomen, etc.), weakness, muscle tremors, staggering gait, incoordination, aggression, constipation, frequent urination and icterus. The course is often rapid, and some animals are found dead. The most macroscopical lesions are found in the liver, which is as a rule enlarged and friable, orange-brown in colour, with congested patches scattered throughout the parenchyma. The gall-bladder wall is often oedematous and may contain haemorrhages. Other less specific changes include cyanosis, oedema of the lungs, effusion of the body cavities, enterorrhagia, congestion and oedema of the abomasum folds, petechiae and ecchymoses on serosal surfaces, as well as subcutaneously, intermuscularly and in the epi- and endocardium. Congestion of the meninges and brain, spongy changes in the cerebral white matter, and icterus have also been reported. Sometimes the rectum contains dry feacal balls covered with a bloody mucus.