Vascular Plants of North Carolina

Vascular Plants of North Carolina

Account for Tall Rattlesnake-root - Nabalus altissimus (L.) Hooker

Members of Asteraceae:

Section 6 » Family Asteraceae

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Author	(L.) Hooker
Distribution	Mountains and Piedmont; several scattered sites on the Coastal Plain that support Piedmont-like soils. Newf. to MI, south to GA and LA.
Abundance	Common in the Mountains and across the Piedmont as well. Rare into the upper and central Coastal Plain. There usually are many immature plants (single leaves on the ground) for every adult plant.
Habitat	Mesic to moist forests of varying composition; often on loamy or rocky slopes in somewhat nutrient-rich soils; margins of floodplain forests.
Phenology	Flowering and fruiting August-October.
Identification	Rattlesnake-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. Tall Rattlesnake-root grows 2-7 feet tall and has pale tan to cream-colored pappus (feathery hairs attached to seeds), and straw-colored or pale yellowish florets. From N. serpentaria it differs in leaves relatively thin-textured (vs. thick) and florets less than 8 per head (vs. more than 8 in the latter species). The irregularly-cut leaves are familiar features of montane and Piedmont forests, and many are of immature plants; thus, biologists should know how to identify this species from just the leaves.
Taxonomic Comments	Previously named as Prenanthes altissima.
Other Common Name(s)	None
State Rank	S5
Global Rank	G5
State Status
US Status
USACE-agcp	UPL link
USACE-emp	FACU link

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Photo Gallery

photographer	comments	photo_link	county	obsType
B.A. Sorrie	Same data.		Moore		Photo_natural
B.A. Sorrie	Triassic Basin, slope above Killet's Creek, Sept 2015.		Moore		Photo_natural