Description
The Rattlesnake root will draw your attention mostly in late summer/early fall, due to the tightly packed clusters of pink flowers with outer phyllaries covered in dense hairs. Not particularly showy but very attractive; a magnet for various pollinators in late summer. Monarchs can sometimes be seen ‘hanging’ on the flowering stems during migration!
It is a tall plant make no mistake, and the more water has available, the taller it will get with a sturdy flowering stem that grows from a rosette of large, glaucous leaves. Grow it together with other native companions that need similar conditions like: Lobelia siphilitica, Iris versicolor, Lobelia cardinalis, Eupatorium perfoliatum, Castilleja coccinea…
*The common name Rattlesnake root suggests the plant was used as a remedy for snakebites by the Indigenous People; also, for fever, headaches and dysentery.
Germination: for best results sow in late fall, requires 3-4 months of cold/moist stratification, otherwise not difficult to grow.
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