Dig into Plants: Joe-pye Weed

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Joe-pye Weed

Other Common Names: Trumpetweed, Queen of the Meadow, Hollow Joe-pye Weed

Scientific Name: Eutrochium fistulosum

Alternative:
“Little Joe” Joe-pye Weed (Eutrochium dubium)
Sweet Joe-pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum)

Native to Alabama: Yes

Flickr – Tom Potterfield

Learn More About...

Basic Plant Information

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – Sarah Linn

I am a vascular plant with no woody stems above ground, so I am herbaceous.
I do not keep leaves year-round, so I am deciduous.
I die back in winter but regrow in spring for many seasons, so I am perennial.
I can grow 4 – 7 feet high and 2 – 4 feet wide.

Ecological Benefits

This plant provides food for:

Butterflies

Native Bees

Other Pollinators

Other Birds

Other Plants Found in Alabama with Similar Ecological Benefits:

Purple Joepyeweed
(Eutrochium purpureum)

Maintenance Notes

Dormant in winter.
Flowers can be cut for an indoor vase but work best if dried.
Cut plants to the ground in late winter.
When watering, hold hose to base of plant for a count of 5 seconds. Water should reach all roots.
Avoid sprinkling water on the leaves.
Requires moist to wet soil at all times.

Moist to wet soil at all times: water three times per week.

Habitat Requirements

This plant prefers:

Full Sun
(6+ hours of sun per day)

Part Sun/ Shade
(2-6 hours of sun per day)

Prefers wet to moist soil at all times

Sandy or Moist Soil

Leaf, Flower & Seed Identification

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – James L Reveal

LEAF DESCRIPTION

Central stem is hollow and purple; dark green leaves up to 10 inches long and 3 inches across

Leaf Characteristics Chart (PDF)


Shape: Lanceolate	Margin: Serrate

Arrangement: Whorled	Form: Simple

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – James L. Reveal

FLOWER DESCRIPTION

Large, domed flower head is 6-14 inches across and composed of 5-7 florets at the end of stems; florets are tiny and vanilla-scented; has only disk florets (tubular, fertile floret that forms disk) and no ray florets (narrow, petal-like, infertile floret that surround the disk); panicle inflorescence (many-branched cluster, with a single stem for each flower).

Flower Shape Chart (JPG)


Color: Pink, purple	Shape: Tubular	Bloom Months: Jul – Sep

Minnesota Wildflower Website – Peter M. Dziuk

SEED DESCRIPTION

Plant spreads by:
Seeds and Rhizomes/ Tubers/ Roots & Shoots
Seeds are wind-dispersed; rhizomes spread and create colonies.


Type: Fruit - Dry Seed Pod	Description: Small with hair-like bristles	Months in Seed: Summer – Fall

Plant Life Cycle

Plant Life Cycle:

All plants start life as a seed.
The seed turns into a sprout when it grows roots.
The sprout becomes a seedling as grows a stem and leaves above the ground.
After the seedling becomes an adult plant it will grow flowers.
After the flowers finish blooming, each flower turns into a seed.
When the seeds fall down to the ground, the plant life cycle starts again.
Each seed can become a plant if it has the food, water and space that it needs to grow.

General Plant Life Cycle – Dreamstime

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS

Quick Fact Sheet
(Condensed Species Info)

Plant ID Sign (Text Only):
Ready as-is PDF

Plant ID Sign (With Picture):
Ready as-is PDF

QR Code
(Links to this Webpage)

Plant ID Sign (Text Only):
Editable Word Doc

Plant ID Sign (With Picture):
Editable Word Doc

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