# white snakeroot

*Ageratina altissima*

Nancy Hanks Lincoln, the mother of Abraham Lincoln, died in 1818 from milk sickness after drinking milk from a cow that had grazed on this toxic plant.

- **Taxonomy:** Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Asterales › Asteraceae › Ageratina
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Rich, moist woods, thickets, shady slopes, and forest openings.
- **Diet:** Autotrophic (photosynthesis)
- **Range:** Eastern North America, Central North America
- **Size:** 30 to 150 cm (1 to 5 feet) tall
- **Lifespan:** Perennial (rhizomes can persist for many years)
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat loss from urban development and displacement by aggressive invasive plants.
- **Safe to approach?:** This plant is highly toxic if ingested due to the cumulative toxin tremetol. It is safe to touch and observe from a distance, but absolutely do not consume any part of it. Keep grazing pets and livestock away from it. If ingested by humans or animals, seek immediate medical or veterinary assistance.

## About

Ageratina altissima , also known as white snakeroot , richweed , white sanicle , or tall boneset , is a poisonous perennial herb in the family Asteraceae, native to eastern and central North America. An older binomial name for this species is Eupatorium rugosum , but the genus Eupatorium has undergone taxonomic revision by botanists, and a number of the species that were once included in it have been moved to other genera.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/473dc239-1499-4374-947b-d901a355e651
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/119048
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ageratina altissima
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/174704611/medium.jpg (Douglas Goldman, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.