Happy Mystery Monday! Can you guess what is pictured in photo #1?
The answer to last week’s mystery is Joe-Pye weed, Eutrochium purpureum, pictured in photo #2.
Joe-Pye weed, Eutrochium purpureum, also called gravel root, is a tall, clumping perennial in the aster family, native to eastern and central North America. It thrives in moist bottomlands and wetlands, where its strong purple or green stems rise upright, often reaching impressive heights.
From July through September—and sometimes until frost—Joe-Pye weed produces large domes of tiny purple disk flowers. The threadlike stigmas protrude, giving the blooms a fuzzy look from a distance. These nectar-rich flowers are highly attractive to butterflies and many other beneficial insects.
The name “Gravel root” refers to its traditional use in treating kidney stones; in fact, the plant’s common name is said to honor an Indigenous medicine man named Joe Pye, who used it for healing. Today, it remains a striking and valuable late-season native perennial for pollinators and landscapes alike.
Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum.
