Button Eryngo

Eryngium yuccifolium

Pollinator Value

🐛 Larval Host: Papaipema eryngii (rattlesnake-master borer moth)
S14 Nearctic record; specialist on Eryngium

Proximity Score: 3a
Native Status: ❌ Outaouais ❌ Ottawa ❌ QC ❌ ON
Closest Direction: W
CEC Eco-Regions: 8 – Eastern Temperate Forests, 8.1 – Mixed Wood Plains, 8.1.5 – Driftless Area
Rarity Notes: Not native to Canada per VASCAN (no match). Globally secure (G5) in the United States. Not SARA listed. NatureServe lists subnational native status in several US states including MI, MN, OH, and VA but no Canadian jurisdictions.
S22 S1 S26
Migration: Disjunct
Ecological Context: Prairie and open woodland species of the central and eastern United States, typically found in mesic to dry prairies, open woods, and thickets. In Michigan, restricted to wet prairies, meadows, and fen borders in the southwestern Lower Peninsula. An indicator species of undisturbed native prairie.
S7 S29 S4

Roles: Fortress/Barrier, Insectary Plant, Pollinator Attractor
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fortress/Barrier: S61 keyword match: thorns? (supporting signal only)] | Insectary Plant: S64 NPPBI 'beneficial insects' flag] | Pollinator Attractor: S73 [HIGH]: S64 Xerces listed (source-classified)]

Category: Analgesic, Antidiarrheal, Diaphoretic, Diuretic, Emetic, Expectorant, Febrifuge, Sialagogue, Snake Bite Remedy
S29 S28
Notes: Extensively used by Indigenous peoples across its range. Cherokee used decoctions for whooping cough, snakebite, and toothache. Creek used root infusions for neuralgia, kidney troubles, blood purification, and snakebite. Meskwaki used roots for bladder trouble and as poison antidote; leaves and fruit featured in rattlesnake medicine ceremonies. Seminole employed decoctions for pain, diarrhea, and hemorrhage. Root is diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, and febrifuge.
S28 S29

❌ Not Edible

Foraging Notes: No documented edible uses. PFAF edibility rating 0 of 5; Moerman records 57 uses but none in the Food category.
S29 S28