CautionNot food
Boneset
Eupatorium perfoliatum
Wet-ground white flower plate. The stem grows through the joined leaf pair. Not white snakeroot.
- Marks
- Perfoliate leaves — stem through the leaf pair
- Size
- 2–4 ft
- Habitat
- Wet meadows, pond edges, Laughery backwaters.
- Season
- Flowers August–September.
- Frequency
- common
Opposite leaves are fused at the base so the stem appears to pierce them. Dull white fuzzy flower heads in a flat cluster. Plant is rough-hairy.
Uses
A few sips of bitter tea for a flu ache. See Apothecary. Not a daily cup, not for children.
If this is the one
If the stem does not pierce a joined leaf pair, you may have white snakeroot. Do not pick it.
Lookalikes
White snakeroot
Ageratina altissima
Shade wildflower that makes milk poisonous. Caused milk sickness on the Indiana frontier.
ToxicDo not eat