Common Name: hemp agrimony
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Asteraceae
Native Range: Eastern Asia
Zone: 6 to 9
Height: 2.50 to 4.00 feet
Spread: 2.50 to 4.00 feet
Bloom Time: August to October
Bloom Description: White, purple, red or pink
Sun: Full sun
Water: Medium to wet
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Rain Garden
Flower: Showy
Attracts: Butterflies
Tolerate: Deer, Wet Soil
Culture
Winter hardy to USDA Zones 6-9 where it is easily grown in moist but well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Best with some afternoon shade in hot summer climates. Good drought tolerance. Needs a location protected from harsh winters in the northern parts of Zone 6.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Eupatorium chinense, sometimes commonly called Chinese joe pye weed, is an herbaceous perennial or less frequently a sub-shrub which grows in the wild from 1 1/2’ to 7’ tall. In the U.S., it is primarily seen growing as a perennial herb to 3-4’ tall. It is native to slopes, grasslands, open woodlands and thickets in lower alpine areas of China, Nepal and Japan.
Upright stems contain opposite, ovate-oblong to elliptic, simple to 3-lobed, pinnately-veined leaves (to 7” long). Stems are topped from late summer into fall with loose compound corymbs containing small florets having white, purple, red or pink corollas. Fruits are resinous-glandular achenes.
Plants have a history of medicinal uses but are poisonous if ingested.
Genus name comes from the Greek name for these herbaceous and shrubby plants in honor of Mithridates VI Eupator, 132-63 B.C., King of Pontus, who reportedly discovered the medicinal uses for some Eupatorium species plants.
Specific epithet means of or from China.
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems. Watch for powdery mildew. Aphids and leaf miner.
Uses
Borders. Open woodland gardens.