Sweet Joe-pye-weed

Sweet Joe-pye-weed
Sweet Joe-pye-weed. Eutrochium purpureum, formerly Eupatoreum purpureum.
Asteraceae, the daisy, sunflower, or composite family.

Description:
Plant: Erect plant 2'-6', with straight, often purple stem, and whorled leaves, topped by rounded cluster of fuzzy pink flower heads. Perennial.
Flowers: Pink heads with fuzzy appearance, 1/4'-3/8" wide, containing only disk flowers, in terminal rounded cluster up to 6" across.
Leaves: In whorls of generally 3 or 4 spaced along stem, ovate, toothed, with short petiole, 3"-12" long.
Fruit: Dry, seed-like (achene).
Blooming: July-September
Habitat: Wet areas, damp forest boundaries.

Comments: One of a few similar joe-pye weeds in our area. Distinguished from E. maculata (spotted joe-pye-weed) by leaves in whorls of 3-4 rather than 4-5, generally broader leaves, and less fuzzy appearance (4-7 flowers in a head rather than 10-16). The joe-pye-weeds have recently been moved from the genus Eupatoreum which they shared with the bonesets, to the new genus Eutrochium on the basis of genetic studies.

Where to find it: I have found a single, dwarfed instance of this plant at the west end of the pond near the boneset and closed gentians.