Eryngium yuccifolium, or Rattlesnake Master, is a distinctive native perennial known for its sword shaped blue green leaves and spiky white flower clusters that resemble thistles. Its unusual form brings bold structure and lasting seasonal interest to native gardens and prairie plantings.
Height & Spread: 3 - 5 ft x 1 - 2 ft
Bloom Time: Summer
Light Requirements: Full sun
Soil Preference: Well drained clay loam or sandy soil
Watering Needs: Low after establishment
Deer Resistance: High
NATIVE STATUS
Native to North America, found widely across the central and eastern United States in tallgrass prairies open savannas and dry fields.
WILDLIFE & INSECTS
Bees
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Supports a wide variety of native bees including sweat bees and long horned bees which rely on its pollen and nectar rich blooms through the summer.
Butterflies
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Provides midsummer nectar for monarchs painted ladies and hairstreaks making it an important nectar source during a seasonal gap.
Wasps
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Attracts predatory and parasitic wasps that use the nectar for energy while helping control garden pests such as caterpillars and aphids.
Flies
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Visited by hover flies and other bee mimicking pollinators that contribute to pollination and enhance insect diversity in the garden.
SPACING & LANDSCAPE USE
Spacing Recommendations
- Space 18 - 24 in apart to allow for mature width and airflow between plants.
Landscape Placement
- Use in prairie gardens pollinator strips dry borders native meadows and low water landscapes. It offers striking contrast to softer textures and performs well in mixed plantings with grasses and other sun loving natives.
COMPANION PLANTS
- Sporobolus heterolepis (Prairie Dropseed) - a fine textured bunchgrass that softens the base of rattlesnake master and adds graceful movement.
- Echinacea pallida (Pale Purple Coneflower) - an early summer bloomer with drooping petals that draws in pollinators and complements the bold upright flowers of eryngium.
- Silphium terebinthinaceum (Prairie Dock) - a large leaved perennial with tall yellow blooms that provides strong vertical contrast and visual drama.
- Monarda bradburiana (Eastern Beebalm) - a compact early flowering mint that supports bees and adds early season interest beneath taller species.
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Liatris ligulistylis (Meadow Blazing Star) - a butterfly favorite with fluffy purple spikes that bloom alongside eryngium and attract monarchs in large numbers.