Boneset
Eupatorium perfoliatum
- Plant Type
- Herb (Deciduous)
- Landscape Layer
- Herbaceous
- Sun
- ☀️ Full Sun, ⛅ Part Sun, ☁️ Shade
- Moisture
- 💧 Regular, 💧💧 High
- Soil
- Clay, Loam, Sand, Silt, Organic / Peat, Calcareous
- Bloom
- June, July, August, September, October
- Sociability
- S2 – Small groups
Pollinator Value
- 🐛 Larval Host
- Haploa clymene, Synchlora aerata, Schizura concinna, Carmenta pyralidiformis, Carmenta bassiformis, Papaipema eupatorii, Schinia trifascia, Feltia tricosa, Condica vecors, Ostrinia obumbratalis, Digrammia continuata, Phragmatobia fuliginosa, Chrysodeixis includens, Feltia subgothica, Eupithecia tripunctaria
- ❄️ Winter Food Source
- Persistent seed heads offer limited winter forage. The Avian Diet Database records Eupatorium genus in the diet of Plain Chachalaca (a southern species not relevant to the Outaouais). Dry seed heads may provide minor food for overwintering songbirds and goldfinches gleaning achenes.
Ecology & Conservation
- Proximity Score
- 0
- Native Status
- ✅ Outaouais ✅ Ottawa ✅ QC ✅ ON
- Closest Direction
- Local
- CEC Eco-Regions
- 5 – Northern Forests, 5.2 – Mixed Wood Shield, 5.2.3 – Algonquin/Southern Laurentians
- Rarity Notes
- Globally secure (G5) and nationally secure in both Canada (N5) and the US (N5). Secure in Ontario (S5) but ranked Vulnerable (S3) in Quebec, suggesting more limited or declining populations in the province. Not listed under SARA or COSEWIC.
- Rarity Ranks
- QC S3 – Vulnerable, ON S5 – Secure
- Migration
- Stable
- Ecological Context
- A perennial forb of wet meadows, marshes, fens, alluvial woods, stream banks and swamp margins across eastern North America. In the Outaouais, boneset occupies seasonally saturated to semi-permanently wet soils in open to partly shaded wetland edges and beaver-pond margins. It associates with Carex stricta, Eupatorium maculatum, Solidago canadensis, and Thelypteris palustris in sedge meadow and emergent marsh communities.
Permaculture & Companion Planting
- Roles
- Fortress/Barrier, Insectary Plant, Pollinator Attractor
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fortress/Barrier: S61 keyword match: spines? (supporting signal only)] | Insectary Plant: S64 NPPBI 'beneficial insects' flag] | Pollinator Attractor: S73 [HIGH]: S64 Xerces listed (source-classified)]
- Notes
- No specific companion pairings documented, but boneset functions as a strong insectary plant attracting beneficial wasps and predatory insects. Xerces Society notes it 'attracts bees and an amazing assortment of beneficial wasps,' supporting conservation biological control in wetland and rain garden plantings. Suitable companions include other moisture-loving natives of sedge meadows.
Medicinal Properties ℹ
Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any plant for medicinal purposes. The information provided is compiled from secondary sources for educational purposes only.
Click here for more info →
ℹ
Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any plant for medicinal purposes. The information provided is compiled from secondary sources for educational purposes only.
Click here for more info →- Category
- Febrifuge, Diaphoretic, Cold Remedy, Analgesic, Emetic, Laxative, Cathartic, Stimulant, Tonic, Antirheumatic, Gastrointestinal Aid, Dermatological Aid, Antispasmodic, Cholagogue, Vasodilator
- Notes
- One of the most widely used medicinal plants in North American Indigenous and colonial herbal traditions. Cherokee, Iroquois, Chippewa, Delaware, and Abnaki peoples used infusions of leaves, stems, and roots as a febrifuge, diaphoretic, and cold remedy. European settlers adopted boneset tea as a treatment for influenza, coughs, constipation, and rheumatic conditions. The dried leaves and flowering tops are the principal medicinal parts. Contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids; large doses are emetic and laxative. Health Canada lists it as a homeopathic substance.
Edibility & Foraging ℹ
Never ingest a plant unless you have 100% certainty of its identity and have consulted multiple reputable sources. The information provided in the Localeaf Plant Database is compiled from secondary sources for educational and historical purposes only.
Click here for more info →
ℹ
Never ingest a plant unless you have 100% certainty of its identity and have consulted multiple reputable sources. The information provided in the Localeaf Plant Database is compiled from secondary sources for educational and historical purposes only.
Click here for more info →❌ Not Edible
- Foraging Notes
- No edible uses documented. PFAF assigns an edibility rating of 0/5 and lists no food uses. Moerman NAEB records 69 ethnobotanical uses but none in the Food category. The plant contains potentially liver-harming pyrrolizidine alkaloids, making ingestion inadvisable.
- Toxicity
-
⚠️ Moderate Toxicity
Not listed in Cornell poisonous plants database. However, PFAF notes sensitization may occur, and the plant contains potentially liver-harming pyrrolizidine alkaloids. OWSL flags it as toxic to mammals if ingested. Large doses cause sweating, diarrhea, and emesis. Should not be used for more than 6 months or during breastfeeding.
Seed Source
- Localeaf