The tuber of this plant is edible and very crisp; it adds texture to salads.  The tuber has a segmented appearance reminiscent of a rattlesnake tail. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Quite aggressive in the landscape and difficult to get rid of because of its deep tubers. , Habitat, Moist-wet disturbed sites. Flatwoods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts bees and butterflies.

The inflorescence consists of a few long-stalked flowers with 6 tepals and many bulblets that tend to sprout in place. The first leaf from the bulblet , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Ruderal, especially roadside ditches. , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers Pollinated by bees and other insects.

Wind pollinated.  Dioecious.  According to Huegel (2010), the flowers attract insects. Plant tree in areas where fallen fruit will not be an issue. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Fallen fruits are messy. , Wildlife, Fruits are very popular with birds and mammals and some reptiles (for example, Eastern box turtle ) , Habitat, Upper floodplains, hammocks, mesic forests.. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage

Range includes most of eastern and central north Ameria west to the prairie region and north into southeastern Canada.  The southern range limit is in , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Rich woods, calcareous hammocks (in FL) but frequently in acid soils elsewhere. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts butterflies and bees -- only butterflies and long-tongued bees can reach the nectar but other insects are attracted to the flo