Rattlebox is a North American perennial wildflower found in wet areas as swamps, stream banks, freshwater tidal marshes, ditches and pond edges. It prefers acidic, sandy, moist to wet soils but does have some tolerance for other soils. Flowers appear in summer for 2-3 months and the delicate yellow blooms last for a day or less. These are followed by squarish seed capsules that rattle when shaken. They are pollinated primarily by bees. Plant in rain or water gardens or at stream and lake edges. This plant is heat tolerant. Larvae of the Pearly wood nymph moth ( Eudryas unio ) feed on this host plant.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Moist | Occasionally Wet
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 6 in. - 3 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 1 ft. 6 in.
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
2-4-inch long and 1/2-3/4 inch wide dark green lance-shaped leaves that are sharply pointed.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Head
Flower shape
Cup; Saucer
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
1/2 - 3/4 inch flowers with 4 showy yellow petals that can quickly drop after opening leaving 4 green sepals that are as long as the petals. They are borne on short stalks in the leaf axis. Flowers bloom May-October.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit color
Brown/Copper; Cream/Tan; Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
1/4 inch squarish seed pods that contain many seeds. Fruits are available June-November.