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 edges and moist clearings, producing large, vanilla-scented domes of pale pinkish-purple flowers in late summer. Its tall stems feature whorls of lance-shaped leaves that give off a subtle sweet aroma when crushed. Serving as a crucial late-season nectar source, it attracts a vibrant array of swallowtails, bumblebees, and other native pollinators.
Native PerennialPollinator MagnetFragrant
1 / 7—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Sunlight
- Water
- Soil Minerals
Predators
- White-tailed Deer
- Eastern Cottontail
- Eupatorium Borer Moth Caterpillars
ThreatsHabitat loss, invasive species competition, land clearing
HabitatsMoist woodlands, forest margins, open thickets, stream banks
Life spanPerennial (10+ years)
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderAsterales
- FamilyAsteraceae
- GenusEutrochium
- 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
- Woodland Setting: Look for tall stems along semi-shaded forest edges and moist glades.
- Pollinator Watching: Visit flowering clumps on warm August afternoons to spot swallowtail butterflies.
- Scent Detection: Gently crush a leaf to release a subtle, sweet vanilla fragrance.
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
Pollinator USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab from Beltsville, Maryland, USA / Public domain · 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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