Joe-Pye-Weed Eutrochium fistulosum
Other Common Name(s):
Other plants called Joe-Pye-Weed:
Previously known as:
- Eupatorium fistulosum
- Phonetic Spelling
- yoo-TRO-kee-um fist-yoo-LOW-sum
- Description
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Hollow Joe Pye Weed is a native herbaceous perennial typically found in the low moist ground of meadows, woods, and fields. It is an erect and clump-forming plant that usually grows to 4 to 7 feet tall. Its great height makes it a dramatic accent in the back of a garden. Hollow Joe-Pye Weed prefers damp, moist to wet, rich soils, but it will also grow in gravelly or sandy soils if there is sufficient moisture. It prefers full sun to partial shade and neutral to slightly acid soils. This plant is moderately resistant to damage from deer and the flowers are attractive to pollinators, including bees and butterflies. Songbirds eat the seeds.
Give this plant plenty of room to grow and use for naturalizing in moist meadows or in native/pollinator gardens. The tall stems are likely to need support in part shade locations. You should cut the plants back to the ground in late winter. Divide the plants in fall as they go dormant, or in the spring just as shoots first appear to propagate new plants or to correct excessive clumping.
A wonderful plant for attracting butterflies.
This plant was selected as the 2017 NC Wildflower of the Year, a program managed by the North Carolina Botanical Garden with some financial support from the Garden Club of North Carolina.
Quick ID Hints:
- Large leaf whorls
- Hollow stems without spots
Diseases, Insects, and Other Plant Problems:
No known serious insect or disease problems. Leaves may scorch if soil dries out.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Eutrochium
- Species:
- fistulosum
- Family:
- Asteraceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Native Americans made teas from various parts of the plant to treat ailments.
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Division
- Seed
- Stem Cutting
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Eastern North America
- Distribution:
- AL , AR , CT , DC , DE , FL , GA , IL , IN , KY , LA , MA , MD , ME , MI , MO , MS , NC , NH , NJ , NY , OH , OK , PA , RI , SC , TN , TX , VA , VT , WV
- Fire Risk Rating:
- low flammability
- Wildlife Value:
- Flower nectar is attractive to various pollinators, especially honeybees. It supports Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos) larvae. Pearl Crescent butterflies have flights many times during the year in Mexico or the Deep South but only from April through November in the north. Songbirds eat the seeds.
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- fire in the landscape.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 4 ft. 0 in. - 8 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Herb
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Native Plant
- Perennial
- Wildflower
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Clumping
- Erect
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Coarse
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Shallow Rocky
- Soil pH:
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Moist
- Occasionally Wet
- Available Space To Plant:
- 3 feet-6 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 4a, 4b, 5b, 5a, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8b, 8a
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Black
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Achene
- Fruit Description:
- Flowers give way to attractive seed heads lasting well into winter. Small dry seeds with hair-like bristles are dispersed by the wind. Displays from August to November
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Pink
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Panicle
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Good Cut
- Good Dried
- Long Bloom Season
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Fall
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Dome
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- The flowers have a vanilla scent, are purple or pink and occur in rounded clusters of 5 to 7 florets per head that are up to 12-18 inches across. The individual disc flowers are about 1/3 inch across. Flowers appear from July to October.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Rough
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Whorled
- Leaf Shape:
- Lanceolate
- Leaf Margin:
- Crenate
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Lance-shaped dark green leaves are up to 10 inches long and 3 inches across with prominent venation, serrated margins and grows in whorls of 4-7.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Purple/Lavender
- White
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Cross Section:
- Round
- Stem Form:
- Straight
- Stem Surface:
- Covered with a powdery bloom (glaucous)
- Stem Description:
- The hollow central stem is dark purple to pale purplish-white, stout, round, smooth and glaucous.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Meadow
- Naturalized Area
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Cottage Garden
- Native Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Rain Garden
- Design Feature:
- Mass Planting
- Small groups
- Specimen
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Butterflies
- Pollinators
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Fire
- Wet Soil
