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Brundage, Stephanie

Ageratina altissima

Ageratina altissima (L.) King & H. Rob.

White Snakeroot

Asteraceae (Aster Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: AGAL5

USDA Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)

Solitary or clustered firm stems bear flat-topped clusters of small fuzzy white flower heads composed entirely of disc flowers.

This plant used to be placed in the genus Eupatorium, as did Smaller White Snakeroot (A. aromatica), a nonaromatic plant despite its name; it has less coarsely toothed leaves, the upper ones stalkless. Other similar species are Late-flowering Thoroughwort (Eupatorium serotinum), which has long-stalked lanceolate leaves with 3-5 main veins, and Hyssop-leaf Thoroughwort (E. hyssopifolium), with very narrow leaves in whorls of 3-4.

From the Image Gallery

13 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Size Notes: Up to about 4 feet tall, often shorter.
Fruit: Fruit is a cypsela (pl. cypselae). Though technically incorrect, the fruit is often referred to as an achene.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White
Bloom Time: Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct , Nov

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , CT , DC , DE , FL , GA , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , MS , NC , ND , NE , NH , NJ , NY , OH , OK , PA , RI , SC , SD , TN , TX , VA , VT , WI , WV
Canada: NB , NS , NT , ON , SK
Native Distribution: S. Ontario to New Brunswick; south through New England to Virginia and upland Georgia; west to Louisiana and ne. Texas; north to Wisconsin.
Native Habitat: Woods and thickets.

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry , Moist
Drought Tolerance: High
Conditions Comments: Prefers full sun but will tolerate shade in more southern locations.

Value to Beneficial Insects

Supports Conservation Biological Control

This information was provided by the Pollinator Program at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

National Wetland Indicator Status

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	FACU				FACU	UPL		FACU	FACU

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.1 (Lichvar, R.W. 2013. The National Wetland Plant List: 2013 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2013-49: 1-241). Click here for map of regions.

Bibliography

Bibref 875 - Armitage's Native Plants for North American Gardens (2006) Armitage, A. M.
Bibref 946 - Gardening with Prairie Plants: How to Create Beautiful Native Landscapes (2002) Wasowski, Sally

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Web Reference

Webref 3 - Flora of North America (2014) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.

Additional resources

USDA: Find Ageratina altissima in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Ageratina altissima in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Ageratina altissima

Metadata

Record Modified: 2022-10-06
Research By: TWC Staff

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