How to Grow and Care for Snakeroots

When you're around white snakeroot, it is a good idea to exercise caution. This plant contains a toxin called tremetol which causes a potentially fatal illness. What’s more, if animals who are lactating eat white snakeroot, the tremetol is secreted in the milk and can be passed on to humans in this way. Many early European settlers are suspected to have died of this so-called "milk-sickness" before they understood the plant's hazards.

Crofton weed is native to Mexico but has been introduced as an ornamental in many other regions. Since then, it has become a noxious weed in some areas. Crofton weed can invade pastures and is toxic to horses.

Havana snakeroot (*Ageratina havanensis*) is a plant species native to Texas, Cuba, and Mexico. Havana snakeroot is also known as the white mayflower. This species Latin name *Ageratina havanensis* means "unfading."

While its ancestral plant has green foliage, white snakeroot 'Chocolate' has an intriguing brown coloration in its leaves. ABrown leaves usually mean bad news for plants, but that's not the case for white snakeroot 'Chocolate'. It boasts a rich, chocolatey color, hence the cultivar name "Chocolate." For its unique foliage and flair, gardeners seek it out.