Mist Flower

(Eupatorium coelestinum L.)

Interesting Information About Plant:  

     The mistflower is also called the hardy ageratum because it looks like the cultivated Ageratum (Wharton, p 236).  The mistflower is also cultivated sometimes for its beauty.  It gets its name because of the fact that it grows in moist areas, such as wet meadow, borders of woods and thickets.  Because misty places provide a favorable habitat for this flower, it was often thought to grow from the mist, hence the name the mistflower.  This flower can be found throughout the state of Kentucky as well as in many other Midwestern states.  The Mistflower is pollinated by all sorts of insects such as Bees, various types of flies, butterflies and day-flying moths, as well as soldier beetles.  It is a very hardy plant and spreads very quickly, so it can quickly take over an area and become a pest.  Although in this particular area the flowers of the mistflower are purple in other parts of the United States the flowers can be white, blue, or pink.

Scientific Name: Eupatorium coelestinum L.

Family Name (Scientific and Common): Asteraceae

Continent of Origin: United States

Plant Growth Habit: Upright Herbaceous 

Height at Maturity: Between 1- 3 Feet

Life Span: Perennial

Seasonal Habit: Deciduous Perennial

Growth Habitat: Full Sun  to Partial Sun

Manner of Culture: Native Species 

Thorns on Younger Stem: No

Cross Section of Younger Stem: Roundish   

Stem (or Trunk) Diameter: Less Than The Diameter of a Pencil    

Produces Brownish Bark: No

Bark Peeling in Many Areas: No

Characteristics of Mature (Brownish) Bark: No Mature Bark (all green)

Type of Leaf: Flat, Thin Leaf  

Length of Leaf (or Leaflet): Less than Length of a Credit Card 

Leaf Complexity: Simple 

Edge of Leaf: Serrated

Leaf Arrangement: Opposite 

Leaf has Petiole: Yes /No

Patterns of Main-Veins on Leaf (or Leaflet): Palmate

Leaf Hairiness: Somewhat Hairy

Color of Foliage in Summer: Green  

Change in Color of Foliage in October: Changes to Yellow  Flowering Season: Autumn

Flowers: Tightly Clustered  

Type of Flower: Colorful Flower

Color of Flower: Purple-Violet 

Shape of Individual Flower: Radially Symmetrical

Size of Individual Flower: Smaller than a Quarter 

Sexuality: Hermaphroditic Flower  

Size of Fruit: Smaller than a Quarter    

Fruit Fleshiness: Dry

Shape of Fruit: Winged    

Color of Fruit at Maturity: Brown or Dry

Fruit Desirable to Birds or Squirrels: No   

Common Name(s): Mistflower

Louisville Plants That Are Most Easily Confused With This One: Common Milkweed, White Snake Root

Unique Morphological Features of Plant: It is a relative to White Snake Root and so it shares some of the same characteristics but it is not poisonous.          

Poisonous: None of Plant

Pestiness (weedy, hard to control): Yes  

Page prepared by:           

Tommy Antony                             

November 2004