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August Wildflower Spotlight:
Joe Pye Weed
Joe Pye Weed, Eupatorium purpureum, is a North American native perennial herb found alongside ditches, marshes or in wet forests. Joe Pye is a member of the family Asteraceae family and can grow to 12’ tall with a domed cluster of pinkish flowers about 1 foot in diameter. It blooms from August till frost, makes an attractive backdrop in your garden and brings butterflies, bees and other beneficial insects.
The plant is names after an American Indian named Joe Pye, who was said to have cured typhus with it. Some Native Americans still consider it to be an aphrodisiac. The entire plant is used today as an alternative medicine. Infuse dried roots and flowers for a diuretic tea to relieve kidney and urinary problems. The tea can be used to break a high fever. Also can be used for gallstones, fluid retention and rheumatism. Crushed leaves can be dried and burned to repel flies. Other common names include Queen of the Meadow, Gravelroot, Kidney root or Purple boneset.
Previous
Spotlights:
- July: Cardinal
Flower
- June: Rosebay
Rhododendron