Lucy Braun's White Snakeroot / Center For Plant Conservation
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Plant Profile

Lucy Braun's White Snakeroot (Ageratina luciae-brauniae)

Close-up of thin-stemmed plant with white aster flowers. Photo Credit: Kimberlie McCue
  • Global Rank: G3 - Vulnerable
  • Legal Status: N/A
  • Family: Asteraceae
  • State: KY, SC, TN
  • Nature Serve ID: 157854
  • Lifeform: Forb/herb
  • Date Inducted in National Collection: 02/10/1987
Description:

Lucy Braun's snakeroot is closely related to several familiar plant species: thoroughworts, boneset, Joe-pye-weed, and white snakeroot. The last-mentioned, when eaten by cows, was the Midwestern source of the deadly milk sickness, which also plagued early settlers and killed Abraham Lincoln's mother. Ageratina luciae-brauniae is a shy member of the genus, living under rock overhangs where its greatest immediate threat is trampling by rock climbers.

Where is Lucy Braun's White Snakeroot (Ageratina luciae-brauniae) located in the wild?

Habitat:

Shaded wet sandstone, ledges and overhangs (Kral 1983).

Distribution:

Eastern Kentucky, north-central Tennessee, and parts of South Carolina (Campbell et al. 1994).

States & Provinces:

Lucy Braun's White Snakeroot can be found in Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee

Which CPC Partners conserve Lucy Braun's White Snakeroot (Ageratina luciae-brauniae)?

  • Missouri Botanical Garden

    Sponsored
    Sponsors Add

    Silver Sponsor

    Mr. and Mrs. William O. Pettit, Jr

    Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

    Mr. and Mrs. Fred S. Kummer

    Conservation Actions
    Assigned 06/09/17
    • CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

    Conservation Actions

    • 08/16/2020
      • Propagation Research

    Germination requirements have been studied and compared with more common species (Walck et al. 1997)

    Nature Serve Biotics
    • 05/02/2017

    40 estimated element occurrences, relatively low abundance numbers at most sites, some protection but fragile and subject to destruction.

    Kimberlie McCue, Ph.D.
    • 01/01/2010

    Primary threat is trampling by hikers and rock climbers (Campbell 1994).

    Kimberlie McCue, Ph.D.
    • 01/01/2010

    Between 40 and 50 sites in total. Number of individuals is low at any given site (Campbell et al. 1994).

    Kimberlie McCue, Ph.D.
    • 01/01/2010

    Germination requirements have been studied and compared with more common species (Walck et al. 1997)

    Kimberlie McCue, Ph.D.
    • 01/01/2010

    There is no formal, centralized management plan.

    Kimberlie McCue, Ph.D.
    • 01/01/2010

    Management needs include protection from trampling. Research needs include understanding aspects of reproductive biology and ecology, seedling establishment and habitat requirements.

    Kimberlie McCue, Ph.D.
    • 01/01/2010

    Not Available

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    Nomenclature
    Taxon Ageratina luciae-brauniae
    Authority (Fern.) King & H.E. Robins.
    Family Asteraceae
    CPC Number 1855
    ITIS 36472
    USDA AGLU
    Duration Perennial
    Common Names Braun's thoroughwort | Lucy Braun's snakeroot | Lucy Braun's white snakeroot
    Associated Scientific Names Ageratina luciae-brauniae | Eupatorium luciae-brauniae
    Distribution Eastern Kentucky, north-central Tennessee, and parts of South Carolina (Campbell et al. 1994).
    State Rank
    State State Rank
    Kentucky S3
    South Carolina S1S2
    Tennessee S3
    Ecological Relationships

    Photos

    Close-up of thin-stemmed plant with white aster flowers. Photo Credit: Kimberlie McCue

    Full shot of plant in flower. Photo Credit: Kimberlie McCue

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