Practical
Plants

Prenanthes altissimus

Rattlesnake Root

a perennial member of the Prenanthes genus in the family Compositae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Height
1.8 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The plant is used as a poultice[4]. A poultice of the crushed roots has been used to treat rattlesnake bites[2].

Product or use
Antidote
Product or use
Poultice

Environment

Range
Eastern N. America - southwards from Quebec.
Habitat
Moist woods[3].
Light
partial sun
Shade tolerance
permanent shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 5+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow early spring in a cold frame and only just cover the seed. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer if they have grown enough. If not, grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter and plant them out the following spring after the last expected frosts. Division in spring.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Requires a moist but well-drained humus-rich neutral to acid soil in shade or semi-shade[1]. Suitable for naturalizing in the wild garden[1].

References

  1. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2

  2. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩

  3. Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00

    ↩

  4. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

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