Plant Preference/Growing Conditions:

The rattlesnake master prospers out in full sun and little to no shade; they thrive the best in well-draining soils, so semi-moist and dry soils, but they can tolerate a wide range. The rattlesnake master would grow poorly in poor-draining soils and soils that are too moist.

Growth Habit/Description:

It can reach up to 6' in height, but in standard conditions the average height is 4'. The flower heads are about 1" in diameter and there are three to twenty of these heads for each florescence, which consist of small white flowers. The veins of the leaves are parallel to each other and are very tough. The leaves are blue-green in color. The rattlesnake master is classified as a herb.

Bloom Season:

Hemispherical heads bloom during the summer, typically starting from late May to early September. The heads consist of clustered tiny white florets and pointed bracts.

Fall and/or Winter Interest?

Yes. The rattlesnake master is a source of food for local bird species.

Host Plant for Caterpillars?

Yes.  The rattlesnake master is a host plant to  several moths and butterflies,  such as  the rattlesnake master stem borer (Papaipema eryngii),  the black swallowtail caterpillars (Papilio polyxenes), and the seed-eating larvae of the Coleotechnites eryngiella moth.

Other Known Ecological Value?

Yes. The rattlesnake master is great at attracting many other kinds of pollinators, such as a variety of bees, moths, monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus), viceroys (Limenitis archippus), buckeyes (Junonia coenia), soldier beetles (Cantharidae) and more. They are also a food source for voles and various other rodents.

Origin of Name:  It's name comes from the idea that the plant's roots may have been used by Native Americans as a medicinal herb to treat rattlesnake bites as a poultice. It has also been reported by American pioneer John Adair in the early 1800s that Native Americans rubbed the plant's sap on their bodies before snake handling ceremonies.

Related Plant Species:  Rattlesnake master is related to another plant that grows near the Gulf Coast is Eryngium aquaticum. Suprisingly, it's also related to the carrot family, Apiaceae.

Use For Food/Medicine:

It currently has no use as a medicinal herb, but in the past it has been documented that Native Americans used this plant in a variety of ways, such as to treat whooping cough, alleviate nerve and tooth pain, and to treat rattlesnake bites.

1. Plant database [Internet]. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin. [cited 2024 Sep 18]. Available from: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ERYU

2. Castelli T. Rattlesnake master is the pollinator master [Internet]. Native Plant Society of Texas. 2024 [cited 2024 Sep 18]. Available from: https://www.npsot.org/posts/rattlesnake-master-is-the-pollinator-master/#:~:text=Below%20are%20some%20of%20the%20many%20innovative,and%20likely%20a%20host%20of%20other%20uses.

3. Rattlesnake master plant [Internet]. Joyful Butterfly. 2024 [cited 2024 Sep 18]. Available from: https://www.joyfulbutterfly.com/product/rattlesnake-master-eryngium-yuccifolium/

4. U.S. Forest Service [Internet]. Forest Service Shield. [cited 2024 Sep 18]. Available from: https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/Eryngium-yuccifolium.shtml

5. Rattlesnake master, <em>eryngium yuccifolium</em> [Internet]. Wisconsin Horticulture. [cited 2024 Sep 18]. Available from: https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/rattlesnake-master-eryngium-yuccifolium/#:~:text=Grow%20rattlesnake%20master%20in%20full%20sun.

6. Rattlesnake master [Internet]. The Morton Arboretum. 2023 [cited 2024 Sep 18]. Available from: https://mortonarb.org/plant-and-protect/trees-and-plants/rattlesnake-master/#more-information

Last edited by Paola Sustaita, September 2024.