Hollow Joe Pye Weed is a native herbaceous perennial typically found in the low moist ground of meadows, woods, and fields. It is an erect and clump-forming plant that usually grows to 4 to 7 feet tall. Its great height makes it a dramatic accent in the back of a garden. Hollow Joe-Pye Weed prefers damp, moist to wet, rich soils, but it will also grow in gravelly or sandy soils if there is sufficient moisture. It prefers full sun to partial shade and neutral to slightly acid soils. This plant is moderately resistant to damage from deer and the flowers are attractive to pollinators, including bees and butterflies. Songbirds eat the seeds. Give this plant plenty of room to grow and use for naturalizing in moist meadows or in native/pollinator gardens. The tall stems are likely to need support in part shade locations. You should cut the plants back to the ground in late winter. Divide the plants in fall as they go dormant, or in the spring just as shoots first appear to propagate new plants or to correct excessive clumping. A wonderful plant for attracting butterflies. This plant was selected as the 2017 NC Wildflower of the Year , a program managed by the North Carolina Botanical Garden with some financial support from the Garden Club of North Carolina. Quick ID Hints: Large leaf whorls Hollow stems without spots Diseases, Insects, and Other Plant Problems : No known serious insect or disease problems. Leaves may scorch if soil dries out.
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.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Moist | Occasionally Wet
Available space
3 feet-6 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 4 ft. 0 in. - 8 ft. 0 in. | Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Erect
Texture
Coarse
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Whorled
Leaf shape
Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Crenate; Serrate
Leaf feel
Rough
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Lance-shaped dark green leaves are up to 10 inches long and 3 inches across with prominent venation, serrated margins and grows in whorls of 4-7.
Flower color
Pink
Flower value
Fragrant; Good Cut; Good Dried; Long Bloom Season; Showy
Flower form
Panicle
Flower shape
Dome
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
The flowers have a vanilla scent, are purple or pink and occur in rounded clusters of 5 to 7 florets per head that are up to 12-18 inches across. The individual disc flowers are about 1/3 inch across. Flowers appear from July to October.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit color
Black
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit detail
Flowers give way to attractive seed heads lasting well into winter. Small dry seeds with hair-like bristles are dispersed by the wind. Displays from August to November
Stem color
Green; Purple/Lavender; White
Stem detail
The hollow central stem is dark purple to pale purplish-white, stout, round, smooth and glaucous.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern North America
Distribution
AL , AR , CT , DC , DE , FL , GA , IL , IN , KY , LA , MA , MD , ME , MI , MO , MS , NC , NH , NJ , NY , OH , OK , PA , RI , SC , TN , TX , VA , VT , WV
Wildlife value
Flower nectar is attractive to various pollinators, especially honeybees. It supports Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos) larvae. Pearl Crescent butterflies have flights many times during the year in Mexico or the Deep South but only from April through November in the north. Songbirds eat the seeds.
Attracts
Bees; Butterflies; Pollinators; Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Achene
Uses (ethnobotany)
Native Americans made teas from various parts of the plant to treat ailments.