Eryngium yuccifolium (rattlesnake master)

Rattlesnake master gets its common name from an erroneous belief among early European settlers that this plant was an antidote for rattlesnake venom. This is an interesting plant for texture in the garden. The leaves resemble yucca and the flowers are stiff and globular. Flower color is whitish-green. Blooms June through September. Grows 4–5' tall in dry to medium soil. Good in a grouping. Tolerant of clay soils and possibly a good plant for erosion control because of its taproot.

Rattlesnake master is native to the tallgrass prairies of central and eastern North America. It is considered extirpated in Maryland. The flowers attract many insects, including short and long-tongued bees, flies, beetles, and butterflies, but wasps are most numerous visitors of all. Larval host to the rattlesnake-master borer moth.

Photo by Kathy Thornton