White snakeroot (Ageratina altissima also known as Eupatorium rugosum) is an erect, branched, perennial herb. White snakeroot blooms during the late summer months, where numerous small heads of white flowers appear at the top of the stem and the ends of the branches. The fruits are distinguishable as brown or black cigar-shaped capsules, single-seeded and tipped with a tuft of white hairs. The leaves are 3 to 5 inches long and petioled, are sharply toothed on the margins, dull on top and shiny on the bottom.
White Snakeroot Toxic Components
White snakeroot contains the ketone tremetol. Poisonings are sporadic due to the considerable variation in the quantity of the toxin present in the plant---as it varies from location to location and also differs depending on current stage of growth. Tremetol causes degeneration of the skeletal and cardiac muscles and injures the liver and kidney. The major effects are related to congestive heart failure.
MECHANICAL CONTROL: The best way to reduce the number of the plants is to pull them out by the roots and burn them; the best time to do this is in September, when the plants are more easily identified by their white blossoms. If the plants are pulled after a hard rain while the ground is soft, the s
