Vascular Plants of North Carolina
Section: Common Name: Scientific Name: Family:
Account for White Rattlesnake-root - Nabalus albus   L.
Members of Asteraceae:
Members of Nabalus with account distribution info or public map:
Flora of SE USGoogle Images
Section 6 » Family Asteraceae
Show/Hide Synonym
AuthorL.
DistributionThis species has a bimodal range, owing to two varieties: the nominate var. albus is scattered in the Mountains and perhaps the adjacent foothills, whereas var. stramineus occurs only in the Tidewater zone, south to Brunswick County.

This is a more northerly species, ranging north to ME and Man. and south only to eastern NC and AR.
AbundanceSeemingly rare both in the Mountains and in the Coastal Plain. The full species is listed by the NC NHP as Special Concern.
HabitatGenerally in mesic forests and edges, especially so in high pH soil.
PhenologyBlooms and fruits from July - November.
IdentificationRattlesnake-roots are characterized by nodding heads of ray florets only, alternate leaves that are roughly triangular and irregularly lobed and/or toothed, and milky juice. White Rattlesnake-root grows 2-5 feet tall and has cinnamon colored pappus (feathery hairs attached to seeds), and white to pale pink florets. In the Coastal Plain, it has been confused with N. trifoliolatus, but that species has pale yellow to cream-colored florets/rays instead of white to pale pink.
Taxonomic CommentsWeakley (2024) does not show varieties for this species. However, the taxon growing in the lower Coastal Plain, recently described by Sorrie and LeBlond in 2025 (see References), necessitates the description of two varieties on this website, the montane one and the Coastal Plain one.

Other Common Name(s)Northern Rattlesnake-root
State RankS1S2
Global RankG5
State StatusSC-V
US Status
USACE-agcpFACU link
USACE-empFACU link
County Map - click on a county to view source of record.
Select a source
AllHerbaria
Literature
Website
Select an occurrence type
AllCollection_naturalLiterature_natural