Eryngium Yuccifolium (Noun)
Meaning
Coarse prickly perennial eryngo of United States thought to cure rattlesnake bite.
Classification
Nouns denoting plants.
Examples
- Eryngium yuccifolium is often found growing in dry prairies and open woods throughout the central and eastern United States.
- Historically the plant has also been known as bear's grass or Button snakeroot but to most people it is simply a yucca-like eryngo.
- Eryngium yuccifolium grows from one to three feet tall with a profusion of whitish or pale blue flowers that have a fragrance often compared to carrots.
- It is the unremarkable green leaves of the plant that produce an unsuspectingly robust saponin thought by some in ancient times to be effective treatment for venom of rattlesnake bites.
- The base of the leafy stalks of eryngium yuccifolium usually contracts and forms small tubers underground which are edible when peeled and cooked.