About

Orbexilum pedunculatum, commonly known as Sampson's snakeroot, is a species of flowering plant in the legume family. It is native primarily to the Southeastern United States where it is found in prairies and savannas, often in acidic soil. It is a perennial that produces racemes of flowers in early summer.

Two varieties have been named, which are sometimes considered distinct species. They are:

Where it grows

Orbexilum pedunculatum is native to the southern and southeastern parts of the United States. It is found in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. It typically grows on prairies and savannas, and on well-drained, sandy soils in woodland.

Uses

This plant has traditional uses in Cherokee Native American herbal medicine; the roots are used to make a topically applied salve to help knit broken bones and as treatment for wounds, ulcers and boils; other parts of the plant are used as a tonic, to relieve indigestion, to induce sweating and to stimulate blood flow during menstruation. Not to be confused with other "snakeroot" plants such as Aristolochia serpentaria (contains toxic aristolochic acids; also known as Virginia snakeroot), Ageratina altissima (contains toxic tremetol, also known as white snakeroot), Actaea racemosa (also known as black snakeroot and black cohosh) or Sanicula canadensis (Canadian blacksnakeroot).

Other Orbexilum plants

Piedmont Leather Root · French-grass · Singlestem leather-root · Largestipule leather-root · Pineland leather-root · Leather-root