In rare cases where large doses are consumed, animals may show anemia and alterations in heart rate and respiration. Flowers are very showy and white. The plant contains a milky sap. The toxins are diterpene esters contained in the milky sap of the plant. The leaves are alternate and two to three pinnately divided.
Flowers are small and white and occur in umbrella-like clusters.
Reportedly, a walnut-sized portion of the root is sufficient to kill a cow. It has opposite, oval leaves that are finely toothed along the margins and pointed at the tip. The plant grows to a height of 4 to 5 feet. It produces small, white flowers in the late summer. The onset of signs ranges from two days to three weeks, with depression, stiff gait, muscle tremors, trembling, partial throat paralysis, jaundice, passage of hard feces and prostration.