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Native Plant Database

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Ageratina altissima (White snakeroot)
Smith, R.W.

Ageratina altissima (L.) King & H.E. Robins.

White snakeroot

Asteraceae (Aster Family)

USDA Symbol: AGAL5

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

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

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Flower:
Fruit:
Size Class: 1-3 ft.

Bloom Information

Bloom Time: Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct

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

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.

From the National Suppliers Directory

According to the inventory provided by Associate Suppliers, this plant is available at the following locations:

American Native Nursery - Quakertown, PA
Toadshade Wildflower Farm - Frenchtown, NJ

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

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Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

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: 2012-06-20
Research By: TWC Staff

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