Native plants provide beauty as well as food and shelter for wildlife. Native species are adapted to the Illinois climate. They require little or no watering and are resistant to drought, insects and most diseases. Because they are perennials, you can welcome their presence year after year.
purple Joe-pye-weed (Eutrochium purpureum)
Photo © Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Purple Joe-pye-weed grows in woodlands statewide. It blooms from June through October. Flowers are pale pink. They are produced in large clusters at the tip of the plant. Flowers appear to be fuzzy, and the clusters can be very large. The stem of this plant is usually green. Each stem is unbranched. The leaves are produced in whorls of three or four leaves, each on a short stalk. The plant may grow from two to six feet in height. Purple Joe-pye-weed is an important food source for native pollinators.
Classification and taxonomy are based on Mohlenbrock, Robert H. 2014. Vascular flora of Illinois: A field guide. Fourth edition. Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale. 536 pp.