WHITE SNAKEROOT

also called White Sanicle (Eupatorium rugosum), poisonous North American herb bearing flat-topped clusters of small white flower heads. It grows up to 1.5 m (5 feet) tall with 18-centimetre (7-inch) leaves opposite each other. Cattle allowed to pasture on the plant may suffer muscular tremors (the trembles), weakness, constipation, and death. Persons who drink the milk of affected cows may experience milksickness, a condition marked by weakness, vomiting, and constipation. White snakeroot belongs to the family Asteraceae, also called Compositae, in the order Asterales. Like other members of the large genus Eupatorium, it is sometimes called boneset, or thoroughwort.