Purple Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium purpureum
native
Other Names:
Kidney-root, Gravel Root, Trumpet Weed, Stemmed Joe-Pye Weed, Sweet Joe-Pye Weed, Sweetscented Joe-Pye Weed
Purple Joe-Pye Weed is a native perennial plant found through most of Virginia. It grows in clumps that can range from 5 to 8 feet tall. It has purple flowers which bloom in the mid to late-summer. Purple Joe-Pye Weed attracts a broad range of long-tongued bees. butterflies, moths, and skippers. The genus name comes from two Greek words that mean "truly wheel-like", in reference to its whorled leaves. The origin of "Joe-Pye" is uncertain, and there are at least two possible explanation. One is that Joe Pye was a Native American medicine man in colonial New England who used this plant or similar species to treat typhoid and other diseases. A second explanation is that a Native American word for typhoid is "jopi", which became corrupted into Joe-Pye.
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