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Asteraceae
White Snakeroot
Ageratina altissima
Caution, hidden power, transformation.
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Genus
- Ageratina
- Native to
- Eastern and central North America
- Bloom season
- Late Summer, Fall
- Type
- Herbaceous perennial
- Height
- 60–150 cm
- Sunlight
- Part shade to full shade
- Soil
- Rich, moist, woodland
- Water
- Moderate
- Hardiness
- 3–8
- Lifespan
- Long-lived perennial
Did you know
- White snakeroot is famous in American history as the cause of 'milk sickness' — the mysterious illness that killed Abraham Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, in 1818.
- Cattle that eat the plant pass a toxin called tremetol into their milk, and humans who drank the milk could die from poisoning even though they never touched the plant.
- The cause wasn't identified until 1928, when Dr. Anna Pierce Hobbs Bixby tracked it down by following the cows of Illinois pioneers.
- Despite its toxicity, white snakeroot is one of the most important late-season native nectar plants in shady eastern woodlands.
- The fluffy white flowers belong to the same genus as the blue mistflower — both were once classified as Eupatorium.
Color meanings
White
Quiet danger