Prenanthes purpurea

Rattlesnake root is like a slender version of rosebay willow-herb (US “fireweed”; Epilobium angustifolium): the stem is slim and drooping and from the tips of the even slimmer side-stems hang clusters of small red-violet composite flowers. The generic name Prenanthes means “flowering face-down”. Each seed has a tuft of hairs which helps with wind dispersal to new areas.