Plant · GBIF taxon 3138192
sweet Joe-Pye-weed
Eutrochium purpureumAlso known as Sweet-Scented Joe-Pye Weed, Purple Joe-Pye Weed, Green-Stemmed Joe-Pye Weed
Sweet Joe-Pye-weed towers over woodland borders and moist thickets, raising massive, vanilla-scented clusters of pale mauve blossoms from midsummer into autumn. The stems feature distinct dark purplish nodes where whorls of four to five lance-shaped leaves attach, giving the plant a structured, architectural presence. Long-tongued bees, swallowtail butterflies, and skippers swarm the nectar-rich flower heads, while goldfinches harvest the tiny windblown seeds later in the season.
Attracts PollinatorsVanilla ScentedWoodland Wildflower
1 / 7—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Autotrophic (Photosynthesis)
Predators
- White-Tailed Deer
- Eastern Cottontail
- Stem-Boring Caterpillars
ThreatsHabitat clearance, land development, invasive plant competition
HabitatsOpen woodlands, forest edges, floodplains, moist thickets
Life spanPerennial (10+ years)
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- FamilyAsteraceae
- SpeciesEutrochium purpureum
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Identification: Crush a leaf gently to detect the characteristic vanilla scent.
- Gardening: Plant in rich, moist soil with partial shade for optimal growth.
- Wildlife Viewing: Approach flower heads slowly on sunny afternoons to observe feeding butterflies.
Ecological Companion (c) Thomas Koffel, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Thomas Koffel · cc-by
Pollinator "Eastern Tiger Swallowtail" by ShenandoahNPS is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/. · cc0
Close Relative no rights reserved, uploaded by Étienne Lacroix-Carignan · cc0
Close Relative (c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Douglas Goldman · cc-by-sa
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