Native to North America, Chelone glabra or white turtlehead is a beautiful flowering plant whose native range from Georgia to Newfoundland also encompasses Connecticut. Its common name comes from the fact the flower petals are thought to resemble the head of a tortoise. Native Americans knew the medicinal and health benefits of this plant and used it to treat several ailments.
About White Turtlehead
This flowering herb can be found in bogs, on the edges of streams and rivers, and in moist woodlands. There are only four species of this plant whose classification in the past has been controversial. Recent DNA studies have put this plant in the Plantaginaceae (plantain) family, formerly it was in the snapdragon family. This plant has simple lance-like leaves that are hairless and finely serrated along their margins. They grow off of stout upright stems. This partly shade-loving plant can grow up to three feet high and prefers moist to wet rich, humusy soil. It spreads by a taproot and rhizomes. The central stem ends in a dense spike of white flowers that grow up to six inches in length, blooming from top to bottom in the late summer and fall. The tubular flowers are white, sometimes tinged with pink, and have a faint tea-like scent. Many people think that they resemble snapdragons. The seeds are in a wing-like capsule that floats on the wind.
Medicinal Uses
Flowers were used as a method of birth control by the Abenaki people. The Algonquin made tea from the roots and cedar bark to treat a variety of ailments. The Cherokee made an infusion of the flowers and used it to treat worms. This infusion was also taken as a laxative. The plant was used for blood purification and as a treatment for eczema, dermatitis, and chronic rheumatic conditions. The Iroquois drank an infusion of the smashed roots as an anti-witchcraft medicine. The Malecite and the Micmac made an infusion of the entire plant to prevent pregnancy. The Cherokee made an ointment with beeswax or lard and mixed it with parts of this plant and applied it to treat sores. One of the most common uses for white turtlehead was as a tonic for the digestive system.
Did You Know...
Chelone, the genus name was one of the nymphs in Greek mythology who dared to speak poorly of the marriage between Zeus and Hera. For her impertinence, she was turned into a tortoise and condemned to eternal silence and to carry her house on her back forever. In ancient Greek times, the tortoise was a symbol of silence.
This plant is a popular food source for deer, sawflies, and flea beetles.
Other names for this plant include snakehead, turtle bloom, shell flower, and fishmouth.
The Baltimore Checkerspot butterfly caterpillars rely on this plant for food.
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