rattlesnake master
Eryngium yuccifolium
Despite closely resembling a desert yucca, this plant is an anatomical member of Apiaceae, the carrot and parsley family.
- Scientific name
- Eryngium yuccifolium
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Apiales › Apiaceae › Eryngium
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Tallgrass prairies, rocky glades, barrens, savannas, and open ditch banks
- Diet
- Autotroph (photosynthesis)
- Range
- United States
- Size
- 0.8–1.5 m tall, leaf rosette up to 1 m wide
- Lifespan
- 10–25 yr
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Prairie habitat loss, agricultural conversion, fire suppression leading to woody encroachment, and non-target herbicide runoff
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. The leaves have fibrous, bristly margins that can lightly scratch bare skin, so long pants and gardening gloves are recommended when walking through dense stands or handling the plant. Wash any scratches with standard soap and water.
Eryngium yuccifolium ( button eryngo , button snake-root , or rattlesnake master ) is a herbaceous perennial plant of the parsley family native to the tallgrass prairies of central and eastern North America, from Minnesota east to Ohio and south to Texas and Florida, including a few spots in Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware.
Photo: aarongunnar, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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