SCIENTIFIC NAME: Prenanthes aspera
COMMON NAME: Rough Whit Lettuce, Rough Rattlesnake-root, White Lettuce
BLOOM TIME: Aug, Sept
PLANT PROFILE:
- Tall slender plant to 6 ft. tall.
- Creamy white ray-like flowers cluster at top with a light fragrance.
- Unbranched hairy stems contain a milky sap.
- Habitat: upper 2/3 of Illinois prairies in full sun.
- Indicator of high quality prairie.
- Choctaws made tea from roots & tops to increase urine flow & relieve pain.
- Bitter roots were used to treat snakebite.
INSECT/ANIMAL INTERACTIONS:
- Cattle and other mammalian herbivores usually leave this plant alone because of its rough hairy foliage & bitter latex sap.