Snakeweed

General Information

• Plants: Perennial shrub plant that can grow up to 18 inches tall. With a maximum lifespan of 20 years, it is short-lived. Thin and flexible stems grow upward, usually green or brown, can be either smooth or covered in short hairs with thin, green leaves, often stemming from the same node.
• Flowers: Yellow, rayed-floret flowers bloom in lose, flat-topped clusters in late summer.
• Fruits: No fruits produced.
• Flowering Season: July to September.
• Habitat/Range: Found on slopes and in poor soils from as far north as Alberta and Manitoba. Native range includes the Pacific Northwest, California and extends as far south as Texas and as far west as Minnesota, though some outlier states with native status includes South Carolina and New York.¹

Blackfeet Ethnobotany^*

by Darnell and Smokey Rides At The Door

The Blackfeet name for snakeweed is Opet At Sapiiaa. It translates to "used as a medicine to heal the bite of a snake." Traditionally, snakeweed is used as a tea, inhalant, or topical for a multitude of ailments, such as dehydration, diarrhea, warts, styes, allergies, colds, coughs, high blood pressure, skin conditions, and stress. The strong stems of the root can be chewed and applied as a topical to wounds, muscle aches, or abdominal pain. It also was used traditionally to assist in milk production for lactating mothers.²

From the Journals

by H. Wayne Phillips

Broom snakeweed was collected on September 19, 1804 below Joe Creek Bay in South Dakota.³ Lewis wrote on the label, "No. 59. 1804. 19th Septbr— the growth of high and bear praries which produce little grass, generally mineral with earth."⁴ There are no other known mentions of snakeweed in the journals, though the specimen did make it back to President Jefferson after being sent from Fort Mandan.⁵

Additional Information: Snakeweed is a vital part of the pronghorn’s diet, as much as 28%, but also provides grazing for other small prairie mammals. Snakeweed and rubber rabbitbrush look very similar, but can be told apart by their flowers. A single snakeweed plant can produce up to 10,000 seeds annually.⁶

^*While traditional medicine is still practiced in many cultures including the Blackfeet culture and has many uses, please do not consume any plant material without consultation of a health professional.