Specimen record

Sweet Joe-Pye Weed

Eutrochium purpureum

Description

A tall, commanding native wildflower of moist meadows and pond margins, reaching 1–2 meters tall. Large domed clusters of dusty pink-purple flowers attract a spectacular diversity of butterflies and bees in late summer. The whorled leaves emit a vanilla-like scent when crushed. The plant is named for a Mohican healer named Joe Pye who reportedly used it for treating typhus fever.

Identification tips

• 1Very tall (1–2 m) with large domed flower clusters of dusty pink-purple
• 2Leaves in whorls of 3–5 around the stem, lance-shaped with serrated edges
• 3Stem green or lightly purple-speckled (not solid dark purple like spotted joe-pye weed)
• 4Crushed leaves have a vanilla-like fragrance
• 5Found in moist to wet open habitats — meadow edges, pond margins