This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

[SG] Chocolate Eupatorium

Hi all,

I've lost track of who asked about Eupatorium 'Chocolate', but I
haven't seen an answer that addressed this curtivar of (side bar:
5 minute pause - did you know if you rub hard enough with a damp
paper towel, you can remove salsa stains from a virgin wool carpet?
don't ask!) Eupatorium rugosum.  I have this in my garden as part
of the transition between the yellow/wine/white into yellow/blue/white
sections of the border and find the the contrast between the foliage
and the white flowers quite pleasing.  I grow mine in where it
receives full sun in the morning through early aftertnon and then
shade until eveining in a side that is moderately dry and it seems
to be relatively happy there.  Mine gets about 3' tall which makes
it a relative mini compared to the other commonly grown species:
maculatum - 6 ft +, purpureum - 9 ft +.

Here are the notes I took from the name tag:

partial shade; average to rich woodsy soil; one of the most attractive of
the genus, with pretty white, flat-topped flowerheads that resemble
Ageratum held high on purplish stems with pairs of nearly heart-shaped
leaves; for woodlands and wood edges;2-5'; July-Oct

This species does prefer a somewhat drier site that the above mentioned
species; I just wish I had a place in my garden for the moister site
species and their towering grandeur; plus butterflies love them.

When looking for additional information on E. rugosum, I found an
interesting note in _Hardy Herbaceous Perennials_ by Jelitto and
Schacht:  'All part of this species are poisonous to grazing animals;
children have been poisoned by milk from cows which grazed this plant".
This is a distinction only shared by E. perfoliatum among the cultivated
species.

Poisonous or not, it is still a neat plant.  I do warn visitors to my
garden that it is primarily for viewing and sniffing and that tasting
and in some cases, touching, without checking with me is not a good
idea (I grow a lot of Ranunculaceae).

John
jford@runet.edu in the beautiful mountains of southwest Virginia 6b
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index