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Rattlesnake Master
Eryngium yuccifolium

This coarse, spiny, erect perennial stands 28-42" tall. A beautiful, distinctive plant that is ideal for landscapes as a contrast or background plant. It is a butterfly magnet and is a tough fast grower for restorations, rain garden edges, and upland buffers. It is an early successional species. It is a State Special Concern species.

USDA symbol: ERYU

General Information

Plant TypeForb
Height3 to 4 feet
Light ExposureSun, Part Sun
Soil MoistureDry, Medium
Bloom ColorWhite
Rattlesnake Master (Rattlesnake Master<div><em class="small">Eryngium yuccifolium</em></div>)
Photo credit: United States Department of Agriculture (Click to enlarge)

Tolerances

Flooding / Inundation ToleranceModerate
General Resilience7
Salt ToleranceMedium
Stress ToleranceGeneral Disturbance

Pollinator Value: Very High

Bloom MonthsJuly to August
Larval Host ofMoths
Specific Pollinators HostedColeotechnites eryngiella, Papaipema eryngii
Pollinator BenefitInsect Pollinated, Provides Nectar, Stem Nesting, Supports Generalists

Project Planning

Project TypeBoulevard, Rain Garden, Sandy or Engineered Soils, Shoreline Buffer
Coefficient of Conservatism8
Herbivore SensitivityLow
LifespanPerennial
Rate of SpreadSlow
Soil StabilizationDeep
Vegetative ReproductionAbsent

Range

CountyBlue Earth, Brown, Cottonwood, Dakota, Dodge, Faribault, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston, Le Sueur, Martin, Mower, Nicollet, Nobles, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasha, Waseca, Watonwan, Winona
EcoregionDriftless Area, North Central Hardwood Forests, Northern Lakes and Forests, Western Cornbelt Plains
Approximate Eco ProvinceEastern Broadleaf Forest, Laurentian Mixed Forest, Prairie Parkland