Spotted Joe-pye Weed

Plant Info

Also known as:	Purple Boneset, Spotted Trumpetweed
Scientific name:	Eupatoriadelphus maculatus
Family:	Aster (Asteraceae)
Life cycle:	perennial
Origin:	native
Habitat:	sun; moist soil, along shores
Bloom season:	summer
Plant height:	2 to 10 feet
USDA PLANTS database:	Minnesota county distribution map
Spotted in Ramsey County at:	Long Lake Regional Park Rice Creek Trail Corridor Vadnais/Snail Lake Regional Park

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Detailed Information

Flower:

Flat clusters 3 to 5-inches across made up of hundreds of ½-inch dull pink flowers with what look like narrow string-like petals.

Leaves:

Whorls of 3 to 5 coarsely toothed leaves, each up to 9 inches long and to 2 inches wide, pointed on both ends.

Fruit:

The flower heads turn into a mass of brown seed.

Notes:

The stem is often purple-spotted, hence the name Spotted Joe Pye Weed. Related to Boneset.

More photos

• close-up of spotted stem
• full length of plant, about 4 feet tall
• full length of plant gone to seed, about 4 feet tall 

Photos taken at Long Lake Regional Park, New Brighton, MN, August-September 2006.

Comments

Have you seen this plant in Ramsey County, or have any other comments about it?

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Please: Do not ask about where to buy seed or other gardening questions, are plants edible, etc. I am not a horticulturist or botanist, just an enthusiastic hobbyist so I probably don't know the answer. Please check the links page for additional resources. -thanks much

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