Tall Boneset (Eupatorium altissimum): white Minnesota wildflowers

Tall Boneset

Plant Info
Also known as:	Tall Thoroughwort
Scientific name:	Eupatorium altissimum
Family:	Aster (Asteraceae)
Life cycle:	perennial
Origin:	native
Habitat:	sun to shade; open woods, thickets, prairies, along railroads, waste areas
Bloom season:	late summer to early fall
Plant height:	2 to 6 feet
USDA PLANTS database:	Minnesota county distribution map
Spotted in Ramsey County at:	Long Lake Regional Park

Pick an image for a larger view. Most image enlargements are 50-100KB, though some may be larger. See the glossary for icon descriptions.

Flower:: Flat-topped clusters of 1/8-inch dull white flowers. Individual flowers are star-shaped with what looks like 5 petals and 5 long stringy stamen. The “petals” are actually disc flowers and there are no ray flowers. There are numerous small groups of flowers that branch out at the top of the plant, forming a flat cluster several inches across.
Leaves and stem:: Leaves are 2 to 5 inches long and to 1 inch across, tapering to a point at both ends with no leaf stem. There are small, widely-spaced teeth in the “tip” half of leaves but smaller leaves in the upper part of the plant may be toothless. Leaves have 3 conspicuous parallel veins. There is often a small pair of leaves sprouting in the leaf joint of the main stem. Leaves and the main stem are hairy.
Fruit:: Small dark seeds with a tuft of white or light brown hair to carry them off in the wind.
Notes:: While the flowers of Tall Boneset look pretty much the same as those of Common Boneset, the 2 species are easily distinguished by the leaves. Common Boneset also prefers moist soil where Tall Boneset is found in medium moisture to dry habitats, and starts blooming a little later in the season.