Eupatorium maculatum
John Haarstad
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed is a
tall plant, growing up to six feet tall. It has a
flat-topped cluster
of fuzzy pink or purple flowers and purple stems. There are several species
of Joe-Pye weeds, supposedly named after an Indian who used
it as a medicine. Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
grows in fields
and thickets,
and also along shores of streams, ponds, and marshes. This
plant often grows in thick stands.
A stand is a large group of the same plant growing close
together. Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
leaves grow up to eight inches long. They are thick and
green with teeth
on the edges. Between three and five leaves will branch out
from the same spot on the plant's stem. This is called a
whorl
of leaves. Flowers are small, only
1/3 inch wide, but they bloom in large clusters over five
inches wide. Spotted Joe-Pye Weed blooms from July to
September. Glen Lee
