White snakeroot

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White snakeroot habit

White snakeroot

White snakeroot leaf

White snakeroot leaf

White snakeroot habit

White snakeroot

White snakeroot

White snakeroot florets

White snakeroot

White snakeroot inflorescence

White snakeroot florets

White snakeroot achenes

Morphology

Stem

Erect, much-branched, green, glabrous or short-hairy, clustered.

Leaves

Opposite, simple, stalked, ovate, 2.5 to 6 inches long, 1 to 5 inches wide, thin; bases rounded or heart-shaped; margins toothed; tips tapered; upper leaves reduced.

Inflorescence

Many-flowered heads in flat-topped to dome-shaped clusters, terminal.

Flower

Heads about 1/4 inch tall; bracts about equal in size, tips long-pointed to blunt; ray florets absent; disk florets 12-24, corollas 5-lobed, white.

Fruit

Achenes, tiny, 5-angled, mostly glabrous, black, tipped with hair-like bristles, enclosing small seed.

Ecology

Habitat

Open woods, shady disturbed sites, and stream edges.

Distribution

East 1/2 of Kansas.

Practical Information

Toxicity

Though not normally eaten by livestock, white snakeroot can cause a sickness known as "trembles" when consumed. Cattle, sheep, horses, and goats are susceptible. Symptoms include weight loss, trembling, depression, inactivity, labored respiration, and inability to stand. Plants contain a toxic substance called tremetol, which can be transferred to humans via milk. The resulting illness is known as "milk sickness", and symptoms include nausea, vomiting, slow pulse and respiration, and general weakness. Abraham Lincoln's mother is believed to have died from this type of poisoning.

Synonyms

Alternative scientific names that have been used for this plant.