Family: Asteraceae, Aster view all from this family
Description Atop a sturdy purple or purple-spotted stem, hairy above, is a large pinkish-purplish, flat-topped cluster of fuzzy flower heads.
Flowers: heads 1/3" (8 mm) wide, in clusters 4-5 1/2" (10-14 cm) wide, of all disk flowers.
Leaves: 2 1/2-8" (6.3-20 cm) long, in whorls of 3-5, thick, lanceolate, coarsely toothed.
Height: 2-6' (60-180 cm).
Flower July-September.
Habitat Damp meadows, thickets, and shores.
Range Across southern Canada and northern U.S.; in mountain areas south to North Carolina.
Discussion This is one of several similar species found in the East. Sweet Joe-Pye-weed (E. purpureum) has a greenish stem, a dome-shaped cluster of dull pink flower heads, and foliage that smells like vanilla when crushed. Hollow Joe-Pye-weed (E. fistulosum) has a hollow stem, and E. dubium is a smaller species with ovate leaves. Folklore tells that a Native American named Joe Pye used this plant to cure fevers and that the early American colonists used it to treat an outbreak of typhus.
