Eupatorium perfoliatum Boneset
General
A tall flowering herb found in wet meadows and marshes. Fragrant white flowers bloom in summer. It is capable of forming colonies once established. Historically, Boneset has been used medicinally; however, it is fairly toxic to humans and should not be casually ingested.
Plant Description
Growing to 6' tall in wet meadows and marshes. Flat branching clusters with white flowers. Distinctive opposite leaves joined around the stem, appearing as one leaf.
Height (ft)
4-6
Soil moisture
Moist to wet
Soil types
Organically rich, will tolerate poor drainage
Wetland indicator
FACW+
Shade tolerance
Intermediate, Full sun to partial shade
Bloom color
White
Bloom period
Summer to early fall
Drought tolerance
Low to none
Salinity tolerance
Low to none
Distribution
Eastern half of the United States, from the Eastern Coast to the Great Plains.
Additional information
Brown, Lauren. Grasses: An Identification Guide. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York City, 1979. LINK
Fassett, Norman C. A Manual of Aquatic Plants, First Edition. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., New York and London, 1940. LINK
Garbisch, Edgar W., and McIninch, Suzanne M. Propagation of Wetland Plants: Herbaceous Plants, Shrubs and Trees. Environmental Concern, Inc. 2003. LINK
Harris, James G., and Harris, Melinda Woolf. Plant Identification Terminology: An Illustrated Glossary, Second Edition. Spring Lake Publishing, Spring Lake, Utah. 2011. LINK
Hitchcock, A.S., and Chase, Agnes. Manual of the Grasses of the United States, Second Edition, Volume I. Dover Publications, Inc., New York, 1971. LINK
Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2015. North American Plant Atlas. (http://bonap.net/napa). Chapel Hill, N.C. [maps generated from Kartesz, J.T. 2015. Floristic Synthesis of North America, Version 1.0. Biota of North America Program (BONAP). (in press) LINK
McKenny, Margaret and Peterson, Roger Tory. A Field Guide to Wildflowers of Northeastern and North-central North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1968. LINK
Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb's Wildflower Guide. Laurence Newcomb, Mexico. 1977. LINK
USDA, NRCS. 2021. PLANTS Database (https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/, 08/20/2021). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA. LINK
https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=277187
https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=eupe3
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/eupatorium-perfoliatum/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eupatorium_perfoliatum
https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/cm_boneset.htm
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_PLANTMATERIALS/publications/mdpmcfs8332.pdf
https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/common-boneset
