Tall boneset is a herbaceous perennial in the daisy family (Asteraceae) native to much of the eastern and central United States and Canada. It can be found growing in fields, prairies and open woods over limestone soils. 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. Specific epithet means especially tall or towering, referring to the height of the plant. Tall boneset grows 2 to 6 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide on a single stem that branches near the top. Grow in full sun to partial shade in dry to moist, well-drained garden soil. The plant readily reseeds itself, so deadhead spent blooms if this is not desirable. They can also spread by rhizomes. Flat-topped clusters 4 to 8 inches across with many whitish star-shaped disc flowers appear late summer into fall. Flowers attract many pollinators. The achenes that follow have seeds with tuft of dull white to light brown hair that are carried by the wind. Native bees nest in the dead, hollow stems, so gardeners are encouraged to cut back dead stems to 12 to 24 inches and allow them to remain standing until they disintegrate on their own. Read more about best practices for stem-nesting bees in this NC Extension publication . Use tall boneset in naturalized areas, in a pollinator, native or drought-tolerant garden. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems. Watch for powdery mildew and aphids.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in. | Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect
Texture
Medium
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf feel
Smooth
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Leaves are 2 to 6 inches long and 1 inch wide, with minute hairs on the undersides. Leaves have 3 conspicuous parallel veins and there are often smaller leaves in the axils. The base is pointed and there are widely spaced teeth on the upper third of the leaf. They are sessile (stalkless) or nearly so.
Flower color
Cream/Tan; White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Cyme
Flower shape
Star
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Flat-topped cymes have many star-shaped disc flowers that are whitish to cream colored. They have 5 petal-like lobes with a brown column of white-tipped stamens in the center.
Bloom time
Fall
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
The achene has seeds with tufts of white to tan hairs that are wind-borne.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Green stems with white hairs. Stems are unbranched except near the top.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Central and eastern North America
Distribution
AL , AR , CT , DC , FL , GA , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , MI , MN , MO , MS , NC , NE , NJ , NY , OH , OK , PA , SC , TN , TX , VA , WI , WV Canada: ON
Wildlife value
It attracts various pollinators and is a larval host plant for Schinia trifascia (three-lined flower moth). Dead stems are used by stem-nesting bees.