Eryngium yuccifolium
(Rattlesnake Master, Button Eryngo)
Family - Apiaceae
Category - Perennial
Origin - North America
Year of Introduction - 1699
Season of Interest - Summer, Autumn
Hardiness - H5
Height - up to 1.2m
Width - 60cm
Location - The Cool Garden
Description: An Evergreen Perennial with a clump-forming habit and upright stems. Long grey-green leaves are strap-shaped and mostly held at the base of the plant. Many small white flowers are held in round umbels. The umbels are held on branched stems and are produced from mid-summer into autumn. Excellent for use as cut flowers and attractive to pollinating insects.
The common name, Rattlesnake Master, is in reference to the (incorrect) historical belief that the plant would not only deter rattlesnakes, but also cure bite wounds.
Flower:
Globose heads of white to very pale blue flowers are surrounded by subtle green bracts. The cooler the temperatures at flowering the more blue the flowers will be. The umbels are held atop branched stems and are produced from July through September.
Flower colour: White
Flower shape: Small flowers held in round umbels
Flowering time: July, August, September
Foliage:
Grey-green strap-shaped leaves have spiny margins, much like the foliage of certain Yucca species (hence the species' name). The leaves are mostly held at the base of the plant with fewer, smaller leaves held on the upright stems.
Foliage Senescence: Evergreen
Foliage Shape: Strap-shaped
Propagation:
Freshly harvested seed.
Cultivation:
Best in full sun and well-drained soil.