Eryngium yuccifolium – Tallgrass Prairie Staple
If you are one of the many native plant enthusiasts keen to provide substantial sustenance for butterflies, bees, and other insects, the Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium) is a must for your landscape. This native tallgrass prairie perennial is an excellent addition to your native prairie landscape, whether pocket- or jumbo-sized.
Not a Rattlesnake Antidote
Let’s start by getting a couple of misconceptions out of the way. First, regarding the origin of the common name – Native Americans utilized the plant for a variety of medicinal and other purposes. This led European settlers to believe the plant was an antidote to rattlesnake venom – which it is definitely not. Below are some of the many innovative ways Native Americans did benefit from the plant:
- Medicinal uses included creating a decoction to prevent whooping cough, soaking the leaves to make an infusion to treat toothaches, using a root infusion to alleviate nerve pain and kidney troubles, and chewing stems and leaves to relieve nosebleeds.
- It was a key textile fiber source and was used as far back as 7,500 years ago as a source for shoes, baskets, and bags.
- Weaved the leaves together to make cordage for binding together game, other plants, and likely a host of other uses.
Not a Yucca
Second, it is not related to Yuccas, despite its scientific name and appearance. Rattlesnake Master is part of the Parsley (Apiaceae) family. Even though the looks are far different from others in the genus, if you crush up the leaves, there is the subtle smell of its parsley heritage.
The bluish-green leaves are 20 – 30 inches in length and form a dense clump as they mature. Yuccifolium blooms in mid- to late-summer with groupings of up to 10 greenish-white spherical flowerheads, about 1 inch in diameter. The flowers sit atop smooth stems that can reach 3 – 4 feet in length from the rosette’s center. The heads hold many flowers that are a magnet for various pollinators.
Rattlesnake Master’s ability to withstand periods of drought is in large part due to their large taproot. This can make transplanting large plants challenging. Also, in the right conditions, it can easily self-seed, to prevent this from occurring, remove the seed heads in the late fall.
Rattlesnake Master in the Native Prairie Landscape
Eryngium yuccifolium has the most extensive range of any of the Eryngium genus. We are at the western edge of its range, which encompasses the eastern half of Texas up to Iowa, diagonally down to the Carolinas, and across the Gulf states.
Rattlesnake Master provides great versatility in your native prairie landscape. If space is tight, single plants can be used as an accent due to their unique features. Alternatively, if space allows, massing can provide them with room to spread and offer a more natural look.
It is a common plant of the tallgrass prairie that once flourished in North Texas. They are best situated with other tall prairie plants, typically found on a tallgrass prairie, such as Blazing Star (Liatris mucronata), Purple Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea), Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), and Annual Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus).
Do Not Feed the Rattlesnake Master
Rattlesnake Master is very tolerant of a variety of conditions. It grows best in drier conditions but can tolerate wetter soil, if there is good drainage. They are also not fussy about soil, adaptable to many types, including clay and rocky soils.
Two areas where they are fussy – sunlight and fertilization. They thrive in full sun and struggle progressively more in shade. Lastly, they are intolerant of fertilization; they require none and will be damaged by the use of fertilizers.
Pollinator-Magnet Extraordinaire
It is a proverbial pollinator-magnet for butterflies, bees, moths, flies, beetles, and wasps. With each flower averaging about 100 individual flowers and up to forty flowerheads, a single plant can produce 4,000 individual flowers.
Predatory wasps are a common visitor to Yuccifolium due to the smorgasbord of other insects available for feasting. Heather Holm’s book “Pollinators of Native Plants” lists 11 types of wasps that visit the plant. In addition, Monarch butterflies, skippers, and other butterflies are frequent visitors.
