# white snakeroot (*Ageratina altissima*) White snakeroot is a tall plant with fluffy white flowers that bloom in late summer. It grows in many places, like forests and fields, and is important for bees and butterflies. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 3/5 · Moderate - **Snaps:** 16 - **Habitat:** Forests ![white snakeroot](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Eupatorium-rugosum-flowers.JPG&width=800) Photo: Sten Porse, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eupatorium-rugosum-flowers.JPG) ## Appearance The white snakeroot has clusters of fuzzy white flowers that appear in late summer and fall, giving it a cloud-like appearance. Its leaves are broad, oval, and sharply toothed, growing on slender, often reddish-purple stems. It can be visually differentiated by its distinctive fluffy white blooms in shaded woodlands. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Asterales - **Family:** Asteraceae - **Genus:** Ageratina ## Interesting facts - Cows can get 'trembles' from eating it, then pass the poison to their milk! - Even when dried, this plant stays toxic and can harm animals! - Humans can get 'milk sickness' just from drinking milk from affected cows! - Its poison once killed Abraham Lincoln's mother! ## Special abilities - **Toxin Shield:** White snakeroot can produce a potent chemical, tremetol, that helps it defend against hungry herbivores. - **Late Bloomer Advantage:** White snakeroot has flowers that bloom in late summer and fall, helping it attract pollinators when other plants are scarce. - **Shade Dweller:** This plant can thrive in shady forest understories, giving it an advantage over sun-loving competing plants. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 50-150 cm - **Spread:** 30-60 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.5-1 cm - **Bloom Season:** Late summer to fall - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** Deadly - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** European honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Bees visit its late-season flowers. - **Pollinates:** [Monarch butterfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/monarch-butterfly) (*Danaus plexippus*) — Monarchs drink nectar from its blooms. - **Eaten by:** [Cattle](https://www.snappit.app/explore/cattle) (*Bos taurus*) — Cattle can unknowingly consume its leaves. - **Eaten by:** [Horse](https://www.snappit.app/explore/horse) (*Equus caballus*) — Horses may graze on the toxic plant. ## Traits - [Deciduous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/deciduous): Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons. - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Cluster Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/cluster-flower): Cluster flowers are inflorescences where individual flowers are arranged closely together on a common stem. - [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished. - [Medicinal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/medicinal): Medicinal plants possess chemical compounds that can be used for therapeutic purposes to treat illnesses or maintain health. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Rapid Growing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/rapid-growing): Rapid growing plants exhibit accelerated growth rates, quickly increasing in size and biomass within a short period. - [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 3/5 · Moderate Do not touch or eat any wild plants without asking an adult first. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify white snakeroot? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is white snakeroot? 50-150 cm ### How wide does white snakeroot spread? 30-60 cm ### How big are the flowers on white snakeroot? 0.5-1 cm ### When does white snakeroot bloom? Late summer to fall ### Is white snakeroot edible? No ### Is white snakeroot toxic? Deadly ### What is white snakeroot's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Ashton Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/ashton-historic-district) — Rhode Island, US · Historic District - [Blackstone Boulevard–Cole Avenue–Grotto Avenue Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/blackstone-boulevard-cole-avenue-grotto-avenue-historic-district) — Rhode Island, US · Historic District - [Brattleboro Downtown Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/brattleboro-downtown-historic-district) — Vermont, US · Historic District - [Broadway-Armory Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/broadway-armory-historic-district) — Rhode Island, US · Historic District - [Catskill Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/catskill-park) — New York, US · Nature Reserve - [Centennial Arboretum](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/centennial-arboretum) — Pennsylvania, US · Botanical Garden [View all places to see white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/white-snakeroot) ## More Plants - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) - [lesser celandine](https://www.snappit.app/explore/lesser-celandine) (*Ficaria verna*) --- Source: [White Snakeroot: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot)