How to identify Joe Pye weed?
Joe-Pye weeds have rounded clusters of pink or purplish flowers and leaves arranged in whorls on the stem. These typically tall, robust plants occur in lowlands along streams. Like goldenrods, ironweeds, native asters, and many other composites that produce big clusters of flowers late in the season, Joe-Pye weeds attract a wide array of pollinators — butterflies, bees, wasps, flies, beetles, and more.Whenever we are asked about the best plants for pollinators, Joe Pye Weed is at the top of the list. Native to wet meadows in the Eastern half of the US, Joe Pye Weed nurtures butterflies, bees, and is the host plant for more than three dozen species of moth and butterfly caterpillars.
What is Joe Pye weed used for?
Midwest National Technical Center, Lincoln. Trumpetweed, Joe-Pye Weed, Eupatorium fistulosum L. Ethnobotanical: Native Americans use the tea of Hollow-stemmed Joe-Pye Weed as a diuretic. A tea of the roots is used to treat fevers, colds, chills, sore womb after childbirth, diarrhea, and liver and kidney ailments. Native American culture has a long history using gravel root. It was said that if you tucked a leaf into your cheek, it would ensure that any words spoken to the opposite sex would be well received. It is very often referred to as Joe Pye weed, or Sweet Joe Pye weed.
Where is the best place to plant Joe Pye Weed?
Joe Pye weed can grow in a variety of environments but thrives in areas that receive full sun to partial shade with hummus-rich, moist soil. Once established, this plant can tolerate some dryness, but is not considered drought tolerant. The plant measures 5 to 7 feet tall and 2 to 4 feet wide. Joe-Pye Weed is native to Southeast Canada and the Central and Eastern United States. This plant is mostly found along roadsides, moist prairies, thickets, woodland borders, shaded riverbanks, or on wooded slopes.Joe Pye weed can grow in a variety of environments but thrives in areas that receive full sun to partial shade with hummus-rich, moist soil. Once established, this plant can tolerate some dryness, but is not considered drought tolerant.