| Plant | Scientific name | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alder | Alnus spp. | tree | Safe browse along wet pasture edges. |
| Alfalfa | Medicago sativa | legume | High in protein (15-22%) and calcium. Excellent for late-pregnant and lactating females, growing crias and underweight animals, usually as 1… |
| Annual (Italian) Ryegrass | Lolium multiflorum | grass | Highly digestible, high-sugar cool-season grass used for winter pasture in the South. Introduce gradually and watch body condition; check se… |
| Ash | Fraxinus spp. | tree | Leaves are traditional livestock fodder in Europe. |
| Autumn Olive | Elaeagnus umbellata | shrub | Invasive shrub that camelids and goats browse readily; berries are safe. |
| Bahiagrass | Paspalum notatum | grass | Tough warm-season grass of the Gulf Coast and Florida. Lower in nutrients than bermudagrass; adequate for maintenance with mineral supplemen… |
| Bamboo (leaves) | Phyllostachys & Bambusa spp. | grass | Leaves are safe and palatable. Raw young shoots contain cyanogenic glycosides, so do not feed shoots in quantity. |
| Beech | Fagus spp. | tree | Leaves are safe; large amounts of beechnuts can cause digestive upset. |
| Bermudagrass | Cynodon dactylon | grass | The main warm-season hay and pasture grass of the southern U.S. Coastal and Tifton varieties make good alpaca hay when cut young; very matur… |
| Big Bluestem | Andropogon gerardii | grass | Native tallgrass prairie grass; palatable when young. |
| Birch | Betula spp. | tree | Leaves and twigs are safe browse. |
| Birdsfoot Trefoil | Lotus corniculatus | legume | Non-bloating legume with condensed tannins that may modestly help reduce internal parasite burdens. |
| Blackberry & Bramble | Rubus fruticosus agg. | shrub | Leaves and canes are relished; a good way to control brambles naturally. Thorns can catch fleece. |
| Blue Grama | Bouteloua gracilis | grass | Native short grass of the Great Plains; nutritious and drought tolerant. |
| Chickweed | Stellaria media | weed | Harmless and readily eaten. |
| Chicory | Cichorium intybus | forb | Deep-rooted, mineral-rich forb that tolerates drought; palatable and nutritious in mixed pastures. |
| Crabgrass | Digitaria spp. | grass | Often considered a weed, but crabgrass is highly palatable, digestible summer forage and makes good hay. |
| Dandelion | Taraxacum officinale | forb | Highly palatable and nutritious; a favorite pasture snack. |
| Douglas-fir | Pseudotsuga menziesii | tree | Safe browse. |
| Eastern Hemlock (tree) | Tsuga canadensis | tree | Despite the name, the hemlock tree is not related to deadly poison hemlock or water hemlock, and its needles are a safe browse. The confusio… |
| Eastern White Pine | Pinus strobus | tree | Needles are commonly nibbled in winter and are not known to be harmful. Pregnant females should avoid ponderosa and lodgepole pine (see pond… |
| Elm | Ulmus spp. | tree | Safe browse. |
| Fir & Christmas Trees | Abies spp. | tree | Untreated fir, spruce and Douglas-fir trees are safe to offer in small amounts as winter enrichment. Remove all tinsel, hooks and flocking, … |
| Fireweed (willowherb) | Chamaenerion angustifolium | wild plant | Palatable browse in northern pastures and clearings. |
| Forsythia | Forsythia spp. | shrub | Non-toxic ornamental shrub; safe to plant near paddocks. |
| Goldenrod | Solidago spp. | wild plant | Generally safe and occasionally browsed. Rayless goldenrod (Isocoma), a different plant of the Southwest, is toxic. |
| Grapevine (leaves) | Vitis spp. | vine | Grape leaves and vine prunings are safe browse for camelids in normal amounts. |
| Hawthorn | Crataegus spp. | shrub | Safe hedgerow browse; thorns can injure eyes. |
| Hazel | Corylus avellana | shrub | Safe browse; a favorite hedgerow plant for camelids in Europe. |
| Indiangrass | Sorghastrum nutans | grass | Native warm-season prairie grass; good summer forage when kept vegetative. |
| Intermediate & Western Wheatgrass | Thinopyrum intermedium / Pascopyrum smithii | grass | Hardy western grasses used in dryland pastures and hay. |
| Kentucky Bluegrass | Poa pratensis | grass | Fine-leaved, sod-forming pasture grass that tolerates close grazing — a good match for alpacas' soft-footed, nibbling grazing style. |
| Kudzu | Pueraria montana | vine | Nutritious leafy legume; browsing animals are used to suppress it. |
| Lemon Balm | Melissa officinalis | herb | Safe garden herb; occasionally offered as a treat. |
| Lilac | Syringa vulgaris | shrub | Not considered toxic to livestock; leaves are occasionally browsed. |
| Linden & Basswood | Tilia spp. | tree | Soft, palatable leaves; safe browse. |
| Little Bluestem | Schizachyrium scoparium | grass | Native bunchgrass of prairies and dry pastures. |
| Meadow Fescue | Festuca pratensis | grass | Cool-season grass related to tall fescue, but typically endophyte-free and safe. |
| Mint | Mentha spp. | herb | Safe in small amounts; strong flavor limits intake. |
| Mixed Grass-Clover Pasture | Mixed sward | pasture | The ideal base diet: a diverse cool-season grass pasture with 20-30% legumes provides balanced protein and energy for most alpacas. |
| Mulberry | Morus spp. | tree | Highly nutritious leaves (often 15-25% protein); one of the best browse trees for camelids. Ripe fruit in moderation. |
| Narrowleaf Plantain | Plantago lanceolata | forb | Common pasture herb with good mineral content; readily eaten. |
| Oats (forage & oat hay) | Avena sativa | grain crop | Oat hay is palatable but can be high in sugar and occasionally nitrate (after drought or heavy nitrogen fertilizer). Test before feeding as … |
| Orchardgrass | Dactylis glomerata | grass | Productive, palatable cool-season grass for pasture and hay. Slightly higher protein than timothy; holds up well to rotational grazing. |
| Pear Tree (leaves) | Pyrus communis | fruit tree | Fresh leaves are safe browse. Feed fruit sparingly and in pieces. |
| Poplar & Aspen | Populus spp. | tree | Palatable browse; leaves and young twigs are safe. |
| Raspberry | Rubus idaeus | shrub | Leaves are safe and commonly fed. |
| Red Clover | Trifolium pratense | legume | Good forage and hay. Red clover infected with the fungus Rhizoctonia leguminicola (black patch) causes 'slobbers' — profuse drooling that is… |
| Rose & Multiflora Rose | Rosa spp. | shrub | Leaves, flowers and hips are safe; camelids help control invasive multiflora rose. |
| Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus) | Hibiscus syriacus | shrub | Leaves and flowers are a safe, popular browse. |
| Sainfoin | Onobrychis viciifolia | legume | High-tannin legume studied for anti-parasitic effects in small ruminants; excellent palatable forage. |
| Sericea Lespedeza | Lespedeza cuneata | legume | High-tannin forage researched for reducing barber pole worm loads in goats and sheep. Coarse when mature; best as hay or pellets cut young. |
| Smooth Bromegrass | Bromus inermis | grass | Hardy cool-season grass, common in northern hay mixes. Good palatability and nutrient content. |
| Sow Thistle | Sonchus spp. | weed | Soft-spined relative of lettuce; palatable. |
| Spruce | Picea spp. | tree | Rarely eaten in quantity; small nibbles are harmless. |
| Sugar Maple | Acer saccharum | tree | Fresh leaves are safe browse. Do not confuse with red maple, whose wilted leaves are dangerous; avoid large piles of wilted leaves from any … |
| Sunflower | Helianthus annuus | crop | Leaves, heads and seeds are safe; black oil sunflower seeds are used as a fleece-conditioning supplement. |
| Teff Grass | Eragrostis tef | grass | Warm-season annual increasingly used for low-sugar hay. Fine-stemmed and palatable — a good choice for overweight or senior alpacas. |
| Timothy Grass | Phleum pratense | grass | The classic cool-season hay for camelids: moderate protein (typically 7-11%), good fiber and low sugar when cut at early-to-mid bloom. Ideal… |
| White Clover | Trifolium repens | legume | Valuable protein in mixed pastures. Camelids rarely bloat, but introduce lush clover-rich pasture gradually. |
| Willow | Salix spp. | tree / shrub | Excellent browse. Leaves contain salicylates and condensed tannins; alpacas enjoy willow branches as enrichment. |
Plants That Are Safe for Alpacas
Good forage and browse you can plant, keep or offer.