Joe-Pye weed

Joe-Pye weed (Eupatorium fistulosum) is an attractive wildflower that prefers moist, rich soil. It is common in eastern and central USA, alongside ditches and marshes, or in moist forests. Commonly it grows five to six feet tall, but can attain ten feet under ideal conditions. Blooming from mid-summer to frost, it makes an attractive backdrop in garden plots, and brings in butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects.

Joe-Pye weed is a member of the flowering plant Family Asteraceae. Other members of the genus include Eupatorium rugosum or Snakeroot, E. perfoliatum or Boneset (also Thoroughwort). Species of Eupatorium have been used in folk medicine, but toxic compounds present can cause liver damage.