Last night I was on E-bay looking at plants , I would have never thought I would identify a wild plant there. But someone was selling " Downy Rattlesnake Plantain " and it looked like the plant I saw in the woods awhile back , it was described as an woodland plant. I wrote the name down and after leaving Ebay googled " Rattlesnake Plantain " and found lots of pics that confirmed the identification. This plant is also known as Adder's Violet and Rattlesnake Orchid , it produces a stalk of beautiful white blossoms.
Native Americans made a tea from the roots to treat pleurisy and snakebites. Doctors used the leaves soaked in milk as a poultice for tuberculous swelling of the lymph nodes , scrofula. The leaf poultice has also been used for burns and skin ulcers. A tea made from the leaves and a little whiskey was taken to improve appetite , treat common colds , toothaches and kidney ailments.
The plant is considered rare and should not be harvested. I plan to watch it closely , would love to see the blooms. It blooms in the summer , but will probably bloom earlier this year because of the weather.
~ Green Blessings ~
JoyceAnn
