Information is courtesy of Magna Vista High School students.

 

 

 

 

 

The Joe Pye Weed is in the Asteraceae family; the other plants in this family are the Dandelion and Chrysanthemum. It got its nickname in the 19th century when a man named Joe Pye used it for medicine. The scientific name is short for tall, rugged, hairy, and dry.

 

The Joe Pye Weed is native and quite common. Its most common in Missouri and Illinois.

 

After blooming, the flowers mature into a seed head. Wind, animals and other natural disturbances spread the seeds and new seedlings grow in spring. It has clusters of tiny, feathery, pinkish-purple flowers, which bloom in July to September.

 

The Joe Pye Weed attracts bees, birds, and butterflies.

 

The niche is to make other plants grow tall.

 

Joe Pye Weed is often called gravel root and is often used in folk medicine as a diuretic to clear urinary stones.