(u-pah-tore' ee-um pur-pur' ee-um)
Common name: Joe-Pye Weed, Boneset, Thoroughout
Family: Asteraceae, Aster
Height x width: 5-7' x 3-4'
Growth rate: moderate
Foliage: whorled with usually 3-5 leaves per node, lanceolate, serrated; cane-like stems purplish at nodes; vanilla scent to crushed leaves for purpureum; short-stalked or not, coarsely toothed or not depending on species
Flowers: small purple or white flowers in a large corymb-like panicle 12-18" across, flat-topped or domed depending on species, on branched terminal short stalks; late summer to early fall
Hardiness: zones 4-6 to 8 depending on species
Soil: moist to wet (except rugosum which needs well-drained and album which prefers dry)
Light: sun to part shade (rugosum tolerates more shade)
Pests and Problems: leaves scorch if dry or hot
Landscape habit, uses: naturalizing in wet areas, often seen along wet roadside ditches, good for poor sites, structural background in moist borders, butterfly gardens
Other interest: native to eastern North America, this plant has become more popular in British gardens than those in this country being considered a roadside weed by many here; named for Eupator, king of Pontus, who legend has used one species as a poison antidote; legend also tells of a Native American, Joe Pye, who used this plant to cure fevers and American colonists used it to treat an outbreak of typhus; Boneset usually applies to native species with coarsely toothed leaves and white flowers
Other culture: pruning in early summer will reduce final plant height to 3-4'; in borders may need dividing every 3 years
Propagation: spring division, seeds, stem cuttings
Species:
Several species and cultivars are increasingly being seen in nurseries
and gardens and are so marked *, with all except cannabinum (European
native) and chinense (eastern Asia native) being seen wild. E.
coelestinum is placed by some taxonomists in Conoclinum coelstinum.
| Species, common name | zones | height | flowers, top | foliage, other |
| album, White Boneset | 5-8 | 1-3' | white, flat | opposite, stem hairy, big teeth |
| altissimum, Tall Boneset | 4-8 | 4-6' | white, flat | opposite, few teeth |
| aromaticum, Smaller White Boneset | 5-8 | 3-5' | white, flat | opposite, thick, short stalked |
| cannabinum, Hemp Agrimony | 5-8 | 4-5' | mauve, flat | opposite, cannabis-like |
| chinense, Asian Boneset | 7-8 | 4-6' | white, flat | opposite |
| *coelestinum, Hardy Ageratum | 5-8 | 2-3' | blue, flat | opposite, ageratum-like |
| dubium, Eastern Joe Pye Weed | 4-8 | 4-6' | purple, domed | whorled, speckled stem |
| fistulosum, Hollow Joe Pye Weed | 4-8 | 5-7' | purple, domed | whorled, hollow stems |
| hyssopifolium, Hyssop-leaved B. | 5-8 | 4-5' | white, flat | whorled, narrow |
| leucolepis, White-bracted Boneset | 5-8 | 5-8 | white, flat | opposite, coastal areas |
| *maculatum, Spotted Joe Pye Weed | 4-8 | 4-5' | purple, flat | whorled, speckled stems |
| perfoliatum, Common Boneset | 4-8 | 4-6' | white, flat | perfoliate, leathery leaves |
| pilosum, Rough Boneset | 5-8 | 3-5' | white, flat | opposite, hairy stems |
| pubescens, Hairy Boneset | 5-8 | 3-5' | white, flat | opposite, hairy stems, toothed |
| *purpureum, Scented Joe Pye Weed | 4-8 | 4-5' | purple, domed | whorled, vanilla scented |
| rotundifolium, Round-leaved B. | 5-8 | 3-5' | white, flate | opposite, small, few teeth |
| rugosum, White Snakeroot | 4-8 | 3-5' | white, flat | opposite, lanceolate |
| sessilifolium, Upland Boneset | 5-8 | 4-6' | white, flat | opposite, lanceolate, fine teeth |
Cultivars:
| Cultivar | species | flowers | other |
| 'Album' | cannabinum | white | |
| *'Album' | coelestinum | white | |
| 'Atropurpureum' | maculatum | purple | purple stems and leaf veins |
| 'Bartered Bride' | fistulosum | white | tall, zone 5 |
| 'Braunlaub' | rugosum | white | brownish (tawny) leaves |
| 'Chocolate' | white | chocolate leaves and stems, new | |
| *'Cori' | coelestinum | blue | |
| 'Flore Pleno' | cannabinum | mauve | double flowers |
| *'Gateway' | maculatum | red | large flowers, dark red stems, tall |
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