Sweet Joe-Pye Weed

Eutrochium purpureum, commonly called Joe Pye weed, is a tall perennial that occurs in low moist ground, wooded slopes, wet meadows and thickets and stream margins. It is an erect, clump-forming perennial which typically grows 4-7’ tall and features coarsely-serrated, lance-shaped, dark green leaves (to 12” long) in whorls of 3-4 on sturdy green stems with purplish leaf nodes. Tiny, vanilla-scented, dull pinkish-purple flowers in large, terminal, domed, compound inflorescences bloom in mid-summer to early fall. Each flower cluster typically has 5-7 florets. Flowers are very attractive to butterflies. Flowers give way to attractive seed heads which persist well into winter.

Genus name is derived from the Greek words eu meaning well and troche meaning wheel-like in reference to the whorled leaves.

Specific epithet means purple.