Ageratina occidentalis

Western snakeroot, Western Snakeroot

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Native

Western snakeroot is a California native perennial herb or subshrub found in northwestern California, the high Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, Warner Mountains, northern eastern Sierra Nevada, and White and Inyo Mountains on rocky sites in montane chaparral, conifer forest, and alpine areas below 3,700 meters elevation. Flowering from June to October, this plant produces white to purple flowers in heads 8 to 10 millimeters long arranged in clusters. Growing with erect or ascending green or purple stems 15 to 70 centimeters tall that are puberulent, it has a woody, somewhat rhizomatous caudex. Its proximal leaves are opposite while distal leaves are alternate, with blades 25 to 50 millimeters long, approximately triangular and somewhat serrate with glandular undersides. The fruit is 3 to 3.5 millimeters long.

Habitat: Rocky sites, montane chaparral, conifer forest, alpine

Bloom period: Jun-Oct

Elevation: < 3700 m

Bioregions: NW, CaRH, SN, Wrn, n SNE, W&ampI

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.