Description

Key Information:

Soil: Mesic (Medium)
Sun: Part Sun – Shade
Height: 2-4 feet
Bloom Color: White
Blooms Time: August – September

More Details:

Suggested Uses: White Snakeroot needs room as it will reseed profusely and can be aggressive in gardens. It is an early successional plant that does well in poor soil. It is a very useful restoration plant for woodlands, woodland edges and woodland gardens with dappled sunlight. It has numerous showy, white flower clusters in the fall which are great for pollinators.

Native Range: North America: Native to the eastern half of the United States and Canada. Minnesota: Native to scattered areas throughout Central and Southern Minnesota.

Pollinators: Nectar source for native bees, syrphid flies and wasps.

Flowers: Each 1/5″ flower head is made up of many white 5 lobed disk flowers. Each flower will produce a single seed.

Leaves: The opposite leaves have a leaf stem (petiole) and strong veins. They are ovate and have serrated edges.

Interesting Facts:

Food Uses: Milk produced by cows that have eaten White Snakeroot can be toxic. It is thought that “milk sickness” from this plant caused the death of Abraham Lincoln’s mother.

More information: USDA PLANTS database