#eupatorium

[ends-2-beginnings]

Clive Nichols

'Red Admiral on Eupatorium' (or Joe Pye Weed as it's commonly known), shot during the afternoon.

[faguscarolinensis]

Eupatorium altissimum / Tall Boneset at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University in Durham, NC

[jillraggett]

Plant of the Day

Monday 3 February 2025

The seedheads of Eupatorium cannabinum (hemp agrimony, andurion, hemlock parsley, hemp weed, holy rope, Indian ague root, water agrimony) catch the low winter sunshine and continue to provide display value in the Cruickshank Botanic Garden in Old Aberdeen on the campus of the University of Aberdeen. This vigorous upright perennial has dense domed clusters of tiny light pink flowers in late summer and early autumn.

Jill Raggett

[nh-art]

Peacock butterfly

[uxbridge]

Mistflower and late bonset

[stompin]

[katiajewelbox]

This fluffy headed wild flower is the Hemp Agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum). This plant is native to most of Eurasia and it is a generous food source for pollinators in August. The plant has been used in traditional herbal medicine as an anti inflammatory. 

In addition, there’s a curious story about the origin of the Latin name... the genus name pays homage to the ancient king Mithridates VI of Pontus, otherwise known as Eupator Dionysius (132BC - 63BC). King Eupator Dionysius was a poison collector and expert in herbal medicine who was paranoid about being poisoned. To make himself immune to poisons, the king “micro-dosed” with a variety of different poisons daily. When his kingdom fell to the Romans, the king tried to take his own life with poison - which unfortunately didn’t work! The story says that the king asked his loyal guard to finish the deed. 

This story is an ironic example of “seemed like a good idea at the time”.

[japanese-plants]

Fashionable Seven Autumn Flowers by Utagawa Sadatora (1818–1844), with closeup of Fragrant Eupatorium

歌川貞虎 「風俗秋七草」