Rattlesnake Weed

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Rattlesnake Weed

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Malpighiales
Family:	Euphorbiaceae
Genus:	Euphorbia
Species:	E. albomarginata

Binomial name

Euphorbia albomarginata
Torr. and Gray

The Rattlesnake Weed (Euphorbia albomarginata syn. Chamaesyce albomarginata) is a low-growing member of the spurge family native to desert and chaparral habitats of southwestern North America, from southern California to Texas.

Rattlesnake Weed is a common ground cover plant, usually growing less than 1/2 in (13 mm) high, with individual plants covering about a square foot, often growing closely and forming mats of vegetation. The flowers of this plant are tiny and edged in white, with a purplish center. Rattlesnake Weed can be found in open fields, on roadsides, or anywhere where the ground is disturbed, including ornamental gravels in suburban yards, where it is considered as a weed.

The name is derived from its former use as a folk remedy for snakebites (as a poultice or brewed as a tea) - however, this species is not proven to be medically effective in treating rattlesnake venom. Like most spurges, Rattlesnake Weed secretes an acrid, milky sap containing alkaloids poisonous to humans, with emetic and cathartic properties that may be misconstrued as curative.

This species is also known to botanists under the name of Whitemargin Sandmat.

[edit] Other Uses for the Name

This name may also refer to other plants which have been used in folk medicine for the treatment of snakebites.

Rattlesnake Weed is an alternate name for
- Florida Betony (Stachys floridana), a member of the mint family
- American Wild Carrot (Daucus pusillus), a close relative of the wild carrot
The similarly named Rattlesnakeweed (Hieracum venosum) is a member of the aster family