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Eryngium yuccifolium

Common Name(s):

Phonetic Spelling
er-RIN-jee-um yuk-ki-FOH-lee-um
Description

Rattlesnake Master is an herbaceous perennial native to areas of the central US and distributed across many eastern US states.  The species won the 2016 Wildflower of the Year for its attractive & unusual foliage & flowers.

This plant was selected as the 2016 NC Wildflower of the Year, a program managed by the North Carolina Botanical Garden with some financial support from the Garden Club of North Carolina.

Habitat: Var. synchaetum: Wet savannas, especially those over calcareous clay soils; var. yuccifolium: Diabase barrens and glades, olivine barrens, rocky woods, pine savannas, pine flatwoods over loamy or clay soils, prairies, other open sites with at least periodic moisture, generally in sites showing some prairie affinities.

Great for use in perennial borders, open woodland, naturalized areas, and pollinator gardens.

 

 

 

Profile Video:
See this plant in the following landscapes:
Pinehurst Greenway Pollinator Habitat Garden, Moore County Crowder Park Prairie and Native Plants Garden
Cultivars / Varieties:
  • Var. synchaetum
    wet savannas
  • var. yuccifolium
Var. synchaetum, var. yuccifolium
Tags:
#perennials#white flowers#native perennials#NC native#summer flowers#native garden#pollinator plant#native wildflower#wildflower garden#NC Native Pollinator Plant#food source nectar#food source pollen#Coastal FAC#Piedmont Mountains FAC#butterfly friendly#Audubon#NC Wildflower of the Year
 
In the summer.
In the summer. Susan Shrine CC BY 2.0
Eryngium yuccifolium
Aaron Carlson CC BY-SA 4.0
Eryngium yuccifolium
Bloom detail Debbie Roos CC BY 2.0
Eryngium yuccifolium
Joshua Mayer CC BY-SA 4.0
Eryngium yuccifolium
Joshua Mayer CC BY-SA 4.0
Eryngium yuccifolium
Eleanor CC BY-NC 4.0
Flower
Flower Kathleen Moore CC BY 2.0
Form
Form Kathleen Moore CC BY 2.0
Leaf
Leaf Kathleen Moore CC BY 2.0
Summer
Summer Susan Strine CC BY 2.0
in the landscape (to the right) in Moore County in summer
in the landscape (to the right) in Moore County in summer Susan Strine CC BY 2.0
In the fall
In the fall Susan Strine CC BY 2.0
Eryngium yuccifolium
Foilage (Warren County, NC) Cathy Dewitt CC BY 4.0
Eryngium yuccifolium
Form (Wake County,NC)-Mid Winter Cathy Dewitt CC BY 4.0
Cultivars / Varieties:
  • Var. synchaetum
    wet savannas
  • var. yuccifolium
Var. synchaetum, var. yuccifolium
Tags:
#perennials#white flowers#native perennials#NC native#summer flowers#native garden#pollinator plant#native wildflower#wildflower garden#NC Native Pollinator Plant#food source nectar#food source pollen#Coastal FAC#Piedmont Mountains FAC#butterfly friendly#Audubon#NC Wildflower of the Year
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Eryngium
    Species:
    yuccifolium
    Family:
    Apiaceae
    Life Cycle:
    Perennial
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    U. S. native
    Wildlife Value:
    Attracts pollinator insects, especially small butterflies
    Play Value:
    Attracts Pollinators
    Wildlife Food Source
    Dimensions:
    Height: 4 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in.
    Width: 12 ft. 0 in. - 16 ft. 0 in.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Native Plant
    Perennial
    Wildflower
    Texture:
    Coarse
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
    Soil Texture:
    Clay
    High Organic Matter
    Loam (Silt)
    Sand
    Soil Drainage:
    Good Drainage
    Moist
    Occasionally Dry
    NC Region:
    Coastal
    Mountains
    Piedmont
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    Blue
    White
    Flower Value To Gardener:
    Fragrant
    Showy
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Summer
    Flower Size:
    < 1 inch
    Flower Description:
    Stems that hold the flowers have opposite arrangement. The white, small (a bit acorn, button, or ball shaped) shaped flowers are composed of many tiny parts, tightly packed in globular heads. They have a sweet smell and attract pollinators. They bloom from June to August.
  • Leaves:
    Leaf Color:
    Blue
    Green
    Leaf Type:
    Simple
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Rosulate
    Leaf Shape:
    Linear
    Leaf Margin:
    Entire
    Hairs Present:
    No
    Leaf Length:
    > 6 inches
    Leaf Width:
    1-3 inches
    Leaf Description:
    Leaves are long and narrow, looking somewhere between a weed, corn stalk, and tulip leaves.
  • Stem:
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Naturalized Area
    Woodland
    Landscape Theme:
    Butterfly Garden
    Native Garden
    Pollinator Garden
    Design Feature:
    Border
    Attracts:
    Bees
    Butterflies
    Pollinators