Hollow Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium fistulosum)

Flowers

Large rounded clusters composed of hundreds of dainty pinkish-purple flowers are borne in mid to late summer atop tall, sturdy, upright to arching.

Fruits

The flower heads turn into a mass of brown seed, each with a tuft of light brown hair to carry them off in the wind.

Leaves

Leaves are whorled in groups of 3 to 6, usually 4 or 5. Leaves are up to 9 inches long and to 2 inches wide, coarsely toothed and pointed on both ends with very short stalks and variously hairy.

Habitats

Forests, meadows and fields, swamps, wetland margins (edges of wetlands)

Fun Facts

Hollow Joe Pye Weed, a member of the Aster family, does have a mostly hollow central stem and is the largest of the Joe-Pye weeds, making for easy identification. It also boasts a dark-purple to off-white central stem. Hollow Joe Pye Weed prefers full-partial sun and wet to medium soil conditions. Hollow Joe Pye Weed can tolerate many soil types. Temporary standing water is tolerated. Typical habitats include wet sand prairies, seeps, soggy thickets, and shorelines.

One of the most attractive features of Joe-pye-weed is their rich nectar that makes them superlative pollinator plants.

It is not unusual to see several species of butterflies including Monarchs and Swallowtails, along with a variety of bees nectaring together on a single flowerhead.