FNPS Plant Database

Eryngium yuccifolium

button snakeroot, rattlesnake master
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: John Bradford, Martin County Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: John Bradford, Martin County Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

button snakeroot, rattlesnake master

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Eryngium yuccifolium

Family:

Apiaceae (Umbelliferae)

Plant Specifics

Form:

flower

Size:

3-5 ft tall by 1 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white,green

Fruit Color:

white,brown

Phenology:

Winter dormant

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Showy Fruits, Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Can be used as an accent plant or grown in the mid-rear of the garden. Also suitable in wildflower gardens. Its broad tolerance of soil and moisture conditions make it a good plant for difficult places. More robust if grown in fertile soils.

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Nurseries, FNPS Plant Sales, Seed

Propagation:

Seed or division of clumps.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Stays wet -to- Short very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Loam, Organic

Soil pH:

acidic to neutral

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Butterflies

Attracts many kinds of insects, including long-tongued bees, short-tongued bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, skippers, moths, beetles, and plant bugs. These insects usually seek nectar, although some of the bees may collect pollen for their brood nests  ( Illinois Wildflowers ).  The goldenrod soldier beetle (a.k.a. leatherwing beetle(,  Chauliognathus pensylvanicus is a goldenrod pollinator ( FL Wildflower Foundation ).

The coarse foliage and prickly balls of flowers are not popular as a source of food with mammalian herbivores, although they may nibble off the ends of the leaves. (Illinois Wildflowers).

Native Habitats:

Moist-moist-wet sites. Cutthroat seeps, savannas, wet flatwoods, wet prairie, coastal flatwoods.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Citations:

Huegel, Craig, N.  2012.  Native wildflowers and other ground covers for Florida landscapes. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.



Osorio, Rufino. 2001. A gardener's guide to Florida's native Plants.  University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.



Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants (http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/).  Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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