White, fluffy clumps of flowers virtually cover the top of white snakeroot (was: Eupatorium rugosum) for much of the fall. The plant grows up to 5 feet tall and 3 feet wide. Chicago-area gardeners should take care to deadhead this plant before the seeds are dispersed (toward the end of October) to prevent reseeding in their gardens. This native perennial grows well in full sun, tolerates some shade, and can thrive in moderate to slightly dry soils.

Butterflies, bees, wasps, and moths all cover this plant when it is in full bloom—it is truly a pollinator magnet. A toxin (tremetol) found in this plant is responsible for "milk fever," a disease that was widespread across much of eastern and central North America in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Cattle can pass this toxin to humans through meat and milk, and it has been found to be deadly in all mammals.