White rattlesnakeroot
Prepared by Jennifer L. D’Appollonio, Assistant Scientist, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469. Updated February 2018.
Scientific name: Prenanthes alba L.; also Nabalus albus (L.) Hook.
Common name(s): white rattlesnakeroot, white rattlesnake-root, white lettuce, lion’s-foot
Link(s): USDA PLANTS Profile, NPIN Profile, Go Botany
Images: (to see enlargements [PC]: click on image, then right click and choose “view image”)
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- young plant, early June
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- mature plant
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- stem usually reddish/purplish
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- leaf shape is variable
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- in flower, early August
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- primary and secondary bracts (green to purplish)
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- ray florets (white to purplish)
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- flower stages
Description:
– biennial
-leaves are:
- variable
- alternate
- simple towards the top
- hairy
-flower head is 1/2 ” wide
-blooms August- September
– may be confused with P. altissima (tall rattlesnakeroot); P. alba has 8 primary bracts, P. altissima has 5. May also be confused with several other species; see NPIN Profile and Go Botany for details
Habitat:
-forests
-woods
-rocky soils
Sources:
Department of Botany. “ Prenanthes Alba L.” Online Virtual Flora of Wisconsin , Wisconsin State Herbarium, wisflora.herbarium.wisc.edu/taxa/index.php?taxon=4669.