Eryngium yuccifolium

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Eryngium yuccifolium
Eryngium yuccifolium.jpg
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Apiales
Family: Apiaceae
Genus: Eryngium
Species:
E. yuccifolium
Binomial name
Eryngium yuccifolium
Synonyms [2]

Eryngium synchaetumJ.M.Coult. & Rose

Whole plant showing yucca-like leaves Eryngiumleaves.jpg
Whole plant showing yucca-like leaves

Eryngium yuccifolium, known as rattlesnake master, button eryngo, and button snake-root, is a perennial herb of the parsley family native to the tallgrass prairies of central and eastern North America. It grows from Minnesota east to Ohio and south to Texas and Florida, including a few spots in Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware.

Contents

Name

The common name "rattlesnake master" is attributed to early European pioneers erroneously believing the plant to be an antidote for rattlesnake venom based upon Native Americans' various medicinal uses of the plant. [3] The species name yuccifolium "yucca-leaved" was given because its leaves resemble those of yuccas. [3]

Description

The leaves are stiff, long and narrow with a sharp tip, 15–100 cm (0–5 ft) long but only 1–3 cm (0.39–1.18 in) broad. They are bluish-green, and covered in a waxy coating. On the edges are regularly spaced bristles or spines. The root system consists of a central taproot surrounded by thick fleshy fibrous roots. [4]

It grows up to 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall, with 10–40 dense, ball-shaped umbels of flowers produced at the top of each stem. [5] Each of these condensed umbels is 1–3 cm (0.5–1 in) in diameter, resembling flowerheads. Individual flowers in the umbels are small, 3–4 mm in diameter, with greenish-white or bluish-white petals and a faint honey-like scent. Underneath each flower is a spiny green bract, and underneath each flower cluster is a small star-like rosette of spiny bracts. The flowers are produced in July and August. [4] [6]

After the flowerbuds open, the pollen matures and is released two to three days before the stigmas become receptive. [5] This encourages cross-pollination by making it unlikely that a given flower's pollen will fertilize the stigma of the same flower. Rattlesnake master has unusually high seed set (close to 90%). [7]

Ecology

In remnant natural areas, Eryngium yuccifolium is fairly intolerant of anthropogenic disturbance. [8] It readily establishes when planted in prairie restorations. [9] [10]

The flowers attract many insects, including short and long-tongued bees, flies, beetles, and butterflies, but most numerous of all are wasps. [3] [5] It is a larval host to the rare rattlesnake-master borer moth (Papaipema eryngii). [11] [12]

Cultivation

It is sold by native plant nurseries for prairie or native meadow restoration and for gardens and landscapes. It does best with full sun and well-drained soil, with a pH range from 5-7.5. [13] It can die from root rot if the soil stays wet or moist for too long. Once planted it is best left undisturbed and never dug up and reset as with many perennials because it develops a large taproot and other thick, fleshy roots. It often self-sows a little to a good amount in gardens. When planted from seed, a period of cold-moist stratification is required.

Uses

Fibers of rattlesnake master have been found as one of the primary materials used in the ancient shoe construction of midwestern Native Americans. [14]

Related Research Articles

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Eryngium is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apiaceae. There are about 250 species. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, with the center of diversity in South America. Common names include eryngo and sea holly.

<i>Eryngium alpinum</i> Species of flowering plant in the celery family Apiaceae

Eryngium alpinum, the alpine sea holly, alpine eryngo or queen of the Alps, is a herbaceous perennial plant in the family Apiaceae.

<i>Sorghastrum nutans</i> Species of grass

Sorghastrum nutans, commonly known as either Indiangrass, yellow Indiangrass, or golden feather grass, is a North American prairie grass found in the Central United States, the Eastern United States, and Canada, especially in the Great Plains and tallgrass prairies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prairie restoration</span> Conservation efforts focused on prairie lands

Prairie restoration is a conservation effort to restore prairie lands that were destroyed due to industrial, agricultural, commercial, or residential development. The primary aim is to return areas and ecosystems to their previous state before their depletion.

<i>Sporobolus heterolepis</i> Species of flowering plant

Sporobolus heterolepis, commonly known as prairie dropseed, is a species of prairie grass native to the tallgrass and mixed grass prairies of central North America from Texas to southern Canada. It is also found further east, to the Atlantic coast of the United States and Canada, but is much less common beyond the Great Plains and is restricted to specialized habitats. It is found in 27 states and four Canadian provinces.

Rattlesnake master may refer to:

<i>Eryngium amethystinum</i> Species of flowering plant in the celery family Apiaceae

Eryngium amethystinum, the amethyst eryngo, Italian eryngo or amethyst sea holly, is a clump-forming, perennial, tap-rooted herb. Its stem is 30 to 50 cm long and is light blue to purple in colour. It has a basal circle of obovate, pinnate, spiny, leathery, mid-green leaves. It flowers in mid to late summer with cylindrical umbels, 2–3 cm long atop silvery blue bracts and branching stems. The plant is native to the eastern Mediterranean and prefers dry places and soils that are rich in calcium.

<i>Eryngium aristulatum</i> Species of flowering plant in the celery family Apiaceae

Eryngium aristulatum, known by the common names California eryngo and Jepson's button celery, is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae.

Eryngium pinnatisectum is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, known by the common names Tuolumne eryngo and Tuolumne button celery.

Eryngium racemosum is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae known by the common name delta eryngo, or delta button celery.

Eryngium spinosepalum, known by the common names spinysepal eryngo and spiny-sepaled button celery, is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae.

<i>Asclepias meadii</i> Species of flowering plant

Asclepias meadii is a rare species of milkweed known by the common name Mead's milkweed. It is native to the American Midwest, where it was probably once quite widespread in the tallgrass prairie. Today much of the Midwest has been fragmented and claimed for agriculture, and the remaining prairie habitat is degraded.

<i>Eryngium cuneifolium</i> Species of flowering plant in the celery family Apiaceae

Eryngium cuneifolium is a rare species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common names wedgeleaf eryngo, wedge-leaved button-snakeroot, and simply snakeroot. It is endemic to the state of Florida in the United States where it is known only from Highlands County. It is one of many rare species that can be found only on the Lake Wales Ridge, an area of high endemism. It was federally listed as an endangered species of the United States in 1987.

<i>Eryngium planum</i> Species of flowering plant in the celery family Apiaceae

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<i>Dalea purpurea</i> Species of legume

Dalea purpurea is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known as purple prairie clover. Native to central North America, purple prairie clover is a relatively common member of the Great Plains and prairie ecosystems. It blooms in the summer with dense spikes of bright purple flowers that attract many species of insects.

<i>Eryngium aquaticum</i> Species of flowering plant in the celery family Apiaceae

Eryngium aquaticum is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae known by the common name rattlesnakemaster, marsh rattlesnake master, corn-snakeroot, bitter snakeroot, and marsh eryngo. This plant is native to eastern North America.

Papaipema eryngii, the rattlesnake-master borer, is a species of cutworm or dart moth in the family Noctuidae. It is found in North America. It bores into the rattlesnake master, Eryngium yuccifolium, at the stalk, inverts and develops, killing the plant in the process. In order to mature, the moth needs a mature rattlesnake master or multiple young stalks.

<i>Asclepias angustifolia</i> Species of plant

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pollinator garden</span> Type of garden

A pollinator garden is a type of garden designed with the intent of growing specific nectar and pollen-producing plants, in a way that attracts pollinating insects known as pollinators. Pollinators aid in the production of one out of every three bites of food consumed by humans, and pollinator gardens are a way to offer support for these species. In order for a garden to be considered a pollinator garden, it should provide various nectar producing flowers, shelter or shelter-providing plants for pollinators, and avoid the use of pesticides.

References

  1. "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org.
  2. The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species , retrieved 1 October 2015
  3. 1 2 3 Wheeler, Justin (9 May 2018). "Weird and Wonderful Plants for Pollinators: Rattlesnake Master". Xerces Society. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
  4. 1 2 G. D. Bebeau (2014). "Rattlesnake-master, button eryngo, Eryngium yuccifolium". Plants of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden.
  5. 1 2 3 Holm, Heather (2014). Pollinators of Native Plants: Attract, Observe and Identify Pollinators and Beneficial Insects with Native Plants. Minnetonka, Minnesota: Pollination Press. pp. 76–79. ISBN   978-0-9913563-0-0.
  6. Hilty, John (2016). "Rattlesnake Master". Illinois Wildflowers.
  7. Molano-Flores, Brenda (2001). "Reproductive Biology of Eryngium yuccifolium (Apiaceae), a Prairie Species". Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society. 128 (1): 1–6. doi:10.2307/3088654. ISSN   1095-5674. JSTOR   3088654.
  8. Swink, Floyd; Wilhelm, Gerould (1994). Plants of the Chicago region. Indiana Academy of Science. ISBN   978-1-883362-01-0.
  9. Betz, R.F.; Lootens, R.J.; Becker, M.K. (1996). Two decades of prairie restoration at Fermilab, Batavia, Illinois. Vol. FNAL/C-96/440, CONF-9610263-1. Fermi National Accelerator Lab.
  10. Schramm, P. (1990). D. D. Smith; C. A. Jacobs (eds.). "Prairie Restoration: A twenty-five year perspective on establishment and management" (PDF). Proceedings of the Twelfth North American Prairie Conference. University of Northern Iowa. 12: 169–177.
  11. The Xerces Society (2016). Gardening for Butterflies: How You Can Attract and Protect Beautiful, Beneficial Insects. Timber Press. ISBN   978-1-60469-761-2.
  12. Molano-Flores, Brenda; Dickerson, Patricia; McIntyre, Susan; Nieset, Julie; Dietrich, Christopher H. (January 2024). "A Three-Year Survey of the Rare Stem-Boring Moth Papaipema eryngii (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)". Natural Areas Journal. 44 (1): 21–26. doi:10.3375/2162-4399-44.1.21. ISSN   0885-8608.
  13. Shirley, Shirley (1994). Restoring the tallgrass prairie: an illustrated manual for Iowa and the upper Midwest. University of Iowa Press. pp. 68–69. ISBN   9781587292200.
  14. Kuttruff, J. T.; Gail Dehart, S.; O'Brien, Michael J. (1998). "7500 Years of Prehistoric Footwear from Arnold Research Cave, Missouri". Science. 281 (5373): 72–75. Bibcode:1998Sci...281...72K. doi:10.1126/science.281.5373.72. PMID   9651246.