About Endodeca serpentaria (L.) Raf.
Endodeca serpentaria produces pipe-shaped flowers and heart-shaped leaves. It acts as a larval host plant for two swallowtail butterfly species: the pipevine swallowtail and the polydamas swallowtail. In his work Family Herbal, Thornton notes that this plant has an aromatic smell, along with a hot, pungent, somewhat bitter taste. Historically, the Cherokee used this plant in traditional medicine: people chewed its root and spat the resulting material onto wounds caused by snake bites. In 18th-century England, the plant was considered a remedy for ague. It was also added as an ingredient to make bitters.
