The Box Elder Tree has now been implicated in the poisoning death of some horses. A few years ago it was only the wilted leaves of Red Maples of which that we had to be concerned. Now I read of a tree that the English refer to as a Sycamore also being deadly.
The common link is that they are all in the maple family. Some maples may be safe, but I don't think that they are worth the risk.
I am not a botanist, but if the latin name for the plant contains the word acer I do not want it around my horses. Unforthunately, the Red Maple is one of the most common trees of the Southeast. After every storm we have to check the pastures to make sure that none has fallen.
Only the wilted leaves of the Red Maple kill. Living leaves and those that fall to the ground in the fall do not seem to be a problem.
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