Rattlesnake Master for War, for Medicine, and for Pollinators

Eryngium yuccifolium (rattlesnake master)

Native Americans of the Southeast stocked a heavy arsenal as they prepared for battle. An important part of this weaponry included medicine. The outcome of the wars, many believed, depended on the potency of their war medicine. Soldiers carried medicine bundles, leaders consumed war medicine before feasting, and priests applied war medicine to wounds.

A coveted component of their medicine cabinet of war included the native plant rattlesnake master, also known as button snakeroot or button eryngo. Used to induce vomiting and cure snake bites by Indigenous Americans for thousands of years, rattlesnake master continues its usefulness in the backyard garden as a pollen-laden plant for native insects and a breathtaking cut flower for the dining table. In the fight against the extinction of insects, this plant may just be what the doctor ordered.

Two popular species of native rattlesnake master, Eryngium yuccifolium (rattlesnake master) and Eryngium aquaticum (blue rattlesnake master), naturally occur in the eastern United States, happily absorbing direct sunlight in open bogs, marshes, and ditches that stay saturated or experience occasional flooding. Rattlesnake master tolerates consistent drought, while blue rattlesnake master tolerates some drought once established but performs best in wet soils and full sun.

Eryngium aquaticum (blue rattlesnake master)

Rattlesnake master’s chalk-white and blue rattlesnake master’s pastel-blue globular spiked blooms emit an opalescence in the sun, providing a truly unique textural experience. A grassy mound for most of the year, these plants’ flower stalks grow between three and four feet in height and width through the summer. Blooms appear in the late summer through early fall and allow this plant to reseed readily. Expect a blanket of insects to cover this plant when it blooms – pollinators find rattlesnake master simply irresistible! A blooming beauty and a larval foodie, eastern black swallowtails sometimes feed on rattlesnake masters as they belong to the parsnip/carrot family.

Though edible to eastern black swallowtails, rattlesnake master causes humans to vomit. This quality of rattlesnake master deeply impacted the trajectory of another native plant, the yaupon holly tree. Indigenous nations across the Southeast drank the now infamous yaupon holly-based tea, called black drink, daily, as well as ritually. As a part of ceremonies, leaders consumed black drink with the intent to purify themselves and the beverage caused them to vomit. Observations of this process led taxonomists to consider the main ingredient of yaupon holly an emetic (induces vomiting), so they classified the plant Ilex vomitoria. However, Indigenous people drank the caffeinated yaupon holly tea daily the same way my office mates regularly down a cup of coffee or green tea with no ill effects. Historians believe Indigenous people infused black drink with rattlesnake master for rituals that required physical and spiritual cleansing, leading to yaupon holly’s taxonomic misnomer.

Still highly regarded by Indigenous communities, the horticulture industry recently discovered rattlesnake master’s utility as a pollinator plant for the garden and as a cut flower for arrangements. No longer used for war in the traditional sense, rattlesnake master aids in the fight against climate change as the native plant movement gains ground across America. Look for the blooms in floral arrangements at your nearest grocery store! You can, of course, find the rattlesnake master plant at Native Nurseries in stock most of the year.

Garden to Table: Summer Pickling Recipes

Basic Fermented Dill Pickle

Makes one half gallon container

Ingredients:

• Cucumbers – about 2 pounds

• Garlic – a few cloves

• Dill – fresh

• Spices – fennel, peppercorns, mustard seeds, celery seeds, coriander, allspice, or any combination of your choice!

• 3% Salt Brine (7 grams of salt to one cup of water, ideally non-chlorinated) – enough to cover and keep pickles submerged.

• 2-3 Bay or Grape leaves

Method:

Combine in jar and attach airlock, or just keep pickles submerged. Keep at around 78 degrees. Will be done in 3-5 days, but can be fermented longer–usually up to 14 days.

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Refrigerator Pickles

Makes one half gallon container

Ingredients:

• Cucumbers – about 2 pounds

• Garlic – a few cloves

• Dill – fresh

• Spices of choice

• 1 ½ cups water

• 1 ½ half cups rice wine vinegar

• 4 tablespoons sugar or maple syrup

• 3 bay leaves or grape leaves

Method:

Combine liquids with sugar and salt until dissolved. Cut cucumbers as desired. Place spices, garlic, dill, bay/grape leaves and cucumbers in jar. Cover with liquid and place in fridge. Will be ready in 1 hour. Consume within 1-2 weeks.

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Refrigerator Bread & Butter Pickles

Ingredients:

5-6 cups sliced cucumbers

• 1 ½ tablespoons Kosher Salt

• 1 cup Onion or Leek

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 cup white vinegar

• ½ cup apple cider vinegar

• ¼ cup light brown sugar

• 1 ½ teaspoons mustard seeds

• ½ teaspoon celery seeds

• ⅛ teaspoon turmeric

Method:

Combine sliced cucumbers with salt. Chill for 1-2 hours, then rinse and drain well. Combine with onion and place in jar. Combine sugar and the remaining ingredients over medium heat until dissolved. Pour hot mixture over cucumbers and onion. Cool at room temperature for 1 hour and refrigerate. Will be ready in 24 hours.

Consume within 1-2 weeks.

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Pickled Red Onions

Ingredients:

• Red onions

• Spices

• Vinegars

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 3 bay leaves

• ½ c hot water

Method:

Mix spices, sugar, salt and bay leaves with hot water in jar. Add onions. Add vinegars to cover. Shake to distribute liquids and spices evenly. Place in fridge. Enjoy over the course of a few days.

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The Out-of-Favor Native Persimmon Tree Has a Rich History in Florida

How poorly did Hernando de Soto and his fellow conquistadores think of Florida upon arrival? Well, simply put, Florida’s dreadful flora and fauna made founding states like Massachusetts and Virginia look tame in comparison.

The fruit of the native persimmon tree (Diospyros virginiana) contributed to this unpleasant experience, evoking passionate responses in an account from the very first Florida expedition. The astringency of the unripe persimmon caused mouths to turn and lips to pucker, but first impressions are not everything.

Persimmons constituted a cultural catchall, as they were used by Native Americans, consumed by early English, French, and Spanish settlers, and then utilized for furniture, booze, candies, breads, coffee, and even golf clubs.

A Southern staple

The native persimmon was a Southern staple and remained a symbol of the South until the end of the 19th century, which brought the introduction of the much preferred Japanese persimmon. Most folks now consider the native persimmon – a fruit tree with an abundance of cultural, culinary, and medicinal properties – a nuisance. So, what are we missing about the native persimmon?

The native persimmon’s growth ranges from about 20 to 100 feet tall and 25 to 35 feet wide, depending on its genetics, soil types, and sunlight. The tree tolerates varying moisture conditions. A member of the ebony family, the wood is dark, but also quite hard and heavy.

The dark green oval leaves turn a beautiful burnt orange or brick red color in the fall before shedding entirely. Only female trees bear fruit and multiple nearby trees increase the yield. Bright orange fruit hangs from the barren tree in the late fall and early winter. The native persimmon’s upright growth habit and checkered bark, resembling alligator skin, make it an attractive addition to any landscape.

Medicinal properties of choke-fruit

Persimmon likely comes from the Algonquian word pos, meaning choke, and the suffix from men, meaning fruit. Quite literally: choke-fruit. Indigenous people ate the fruit fresh, dried, and incorporated into bread loaves which they served to settlers.

Indigenous children and adults entertained themselves with a game that used persimmon seeds like dice. Highly sought after for its medicinal properties, different parts of the persimmon tree treated multiple maladies including fever, dropsy, diphtheria, and venereal diseases.

The astringency of the fruit made it a valuable antiseptic in the treatment of wounds. Some made syrups, vinegar, inks, and dyes from persimmons. Inventive Americans, from immigrant entrepreneurs to industrious enslaved families, brewed persimmon beer, wine, and brandy.

During the Civil War, Southern citizens used persimmon seeds for their buttons and their morning brews. Wartime blockades limited Southerners’ access to coffee and put coffee lovers of the South in dire straits. Out of desperation, they roasted persimmon seeds instead of coffee beans.

Newspapers reported that long-time coffee drinkers noted little difference in flavor. Woodworkers valued the persimmon for its weight and hardiness. Persimmon wood could be found at the head of a golf club, a gun stock, mallet, or chisel handle.

Prized by wildlife

Wild animals, above all, prized the plentiful persimmon – birds, squirrels, and bears, oh my. You might still hear some folks refer to persimmon trees as “possum wood,” and for good reason.

Raccoons and opossums, in particular, descended (and ascended) upon the persimmon fruit. People frequently found the furry bandits climbing up their persimmon trees, so much so that multiple folk songs recalled the sight. Here is one excerpt from an old field song:

Possum in a ‘simmon tree,

Raccoon on de groun’,

Raccoon ask de possum

To shake dem ‘simmons down.

This sight and the sight of the persimmon tree, altogether, began to lessen though. Just as de Soto and company encountered the “New World” and its new foods, the great plant and food exchange worked both ways.

By the 20th century, increased trade and transportation opened Americans’ access to more favored fruit trees, relegating the persimmon to a minor fruit unable to soar to the heights of apples and oranges. In addition, the New World traded its native persimmon for the Japanese persimmon.

The native persimmon tree still persists in the landscape of the Southeast, and, I hope, will return to prominence once again. The next time you need to plant a tree, consider taking home a living piece of history with the purchase of a native persimmon.

Jenna Noel Pope is the herb, vegetable, and social media manager at Native Nurseries. She holds a Bachelors and Masters in History from FSU.