White Snakeroot is in full bloom right now in the woodlands and woodland edges. A very common native perennial in our area, it is one of the first plants to emerge in a disturbed site. I've also seen it brightening darker woodlands that are mature and fairly undisturbed.
Formerly in the Joe Pye and Boneset genus Eupatorium, a recent reclassification of many plants in this genus has placed White Snakeroot in the Ageratina genus.
Very similar in appearance to Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum), the leaves being the distinguishing feature to tell the two apart. White Snakeroot leaves have stalks, and are rounder in shape, Boneset has stalkless lance shaped leaves.
If you have dry, poor soils in shade, White Snakeroot is a good candidate to try. It flowers from August into early October in our area, providing much needed color in late fall in woodlands.
White Snakeroot is native to northeastern North America. See map below for range.
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| Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2011. North American Plant Atlas. Chapel Hill, N.C. |
It is not quite blooming in my area yet - the buds are still not open. I love this plant, it is great for late season blooms.
ReplyDeleteI agree Ellen, and even though it's really common, I would much prefer this than some unwanted invasive.
ReplyDeleteHeather
I was very excited when I identified this growing in my yard, right next to my Purple Giant Hyssop and behind some Eastern Daisy Fleabane. Now I'm encouraging it under my Virgin's Bower Vine alongside a path. When a few tall stems broke off, I realized how they can nicely replace Baby's Breath in a bouquet. I love how a few if them together look and act like a nice rounded shrub!
ReplyDeleteAlso, it should be noted that this plant is poisonous. Here is the information from wikipedia:
ReplyDelete" White Snakeroot contains the toxin tremetol; when the plants are consumed by cattle, the meat and milk become contaminated with the toxin. When milk or meat containing the toxin is consumed, the poison is passed onto humans. If consumed in large enough quantities, it can cause tremetol poisoning in humans. The poisoning is also called milk sickness, as humans often ingested the toxin by drinking the milk of cows that had eaten snakeroot.
During the early 19th century, when large numbers of European Americans from the East, who were unfamiliar with snakeroot, began settling in the plant's habitat of the Midwest and Upper South, many thousands were killed by milk sickness. Notably, milk sickness was the cause of death in 1818 of Nancy Hanks Lincoln, mother of Abraham Lincoln.
It was some decades before European Americans tracedthe cause to snakeroot; although today Dr. Anna Pierce Hobbs Bixby is credited with identifying the plant in the 1830s, legend has it that she was taught about the plant's properties by a Shawnee woman. [3][4] The Shawnee woman's name is lost to history, but she and her people would have had deep knowledge of the herbs and plants in the area.
The plants are also poisonous to horses, goats, and sheep. Signs of poisoning in these animals include depression and lethargy, hind feet placed close together (horses, goats, cattle) or held far apart (sheep), nasal discharge, excessive salivation, arched body posture, and rapid ordifficult breathing."
I'm glad someone brought up the toxicity of this plant! Many animals and humans have died from White Snakeroot poisoning. Especially in the Mid-West.
DeleteGreat points Green Warrior Bunny. I don't often use my plants for cut flowers but now I'll have to bring some in the house.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info on the toxicity of the plant too.
Heather