''Eupatorium'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the family

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

, containing from 36 to 60

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

depending on the classification system. Most are

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

s growing to tall. A few are

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s. The genus is native to

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

regions of the

Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth's Nort ...

. Most are commonly called bonesets, thoroughworts or snakeroots in North America. The genus is named for Mithridates Eupator, king of

Pontus Pontus or Pontos may refer to: * Short Latin name for the Pontus Euxinus, the Greek name for the Black Sea (aka the Euxine sea) * Pontus (mythology), a sea god in Greek mythology * Pontus (region), on the southern coast of the Black Sea, in modern ...

Systematics and taxonomy

''Eupatorium'' has at times been held to contain as many as 800 species, but many of these have been moved (at least by some authors) to other genera, including ''

Ageratina ''Ageratina'' (snakeroot) is a genus of more than 330 perennials and rounded shrubs in the family Asteraceae. These plants grow mainly in the warmer regions of the Americas and West Indies. Over 150 species are native to Mexico. Some flourish i ...

'', ''

Chromolaena ''Chromolaena'' is a genus of about 165 species of perennials and shrubs in the family Asteraceae. The name is derived from the Greek language, Greek words (), meaning "color", and () or () meaning "cloak". It refers to the colored phyllaries ...

'', '' Condylidium'', ''

Conoclinium ''Conoclinium'', the mistflowers, is a genus of four species of herbaceous perennial flowering plants, native to North America. They are tall, and have blue to purple or violet flowers (occasionally white). The plants of this genus have sometim ...

'', '' Critonia'', ''

Cronquistianthus ''Cronquistianthus'' is a genus of shrubs native to the Andes in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The genus is named after the American botanist Arthur John Cronquist Arthur John Cronquist (March 19, 1919 – March 22, 1992) was an American b ...

'', ''

Eutrochium ''Eutrochium'' is a North American genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. They are commonly referred to as Joe-Pye weeds. They are native to the United States and Canada, and have non-dissected foliage and pigmented flowe ...

'', ''

Fleischmannia ''Fleischmannia'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. The name honours Gottfried F. Fleischmann (1777–1850), the teacher of Carl Heinrich 'Bipontinus' Schultz, Carl Heinrich Schultz at University of Erlangen–Nuremberg. Mem ...

'', '' Flyriella'', '' Hebeclinium'', '' Koanophyllon'', ''

Mikania ''Mikania'' is a genus of about 450 species of plants in the tribe Eupatorieae within the family Asteraceae. The name honors the Czech botanist Johann Christian Mikan, 1743–1814. Members of the genus are stem twiners and lianas and are common ...

'', and '' Tamaulipa''. The classification of the tribe

Eupatorieae Eupatorieae is a tribe of over 2000D.J.N.Hind & H.E.Robinson. 2007. Tribe Eupatorieae In: ''The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants'' vol.VIII. (Joachim W.Kadereit & Charles Jeffrey, volume editors. Klaus Kubitzky, general editor). Springer-Ve ...

, including species placed in ''Eupatorium'' in the present or past, is an area of ongoing research, so further changes are likely. What seems fairly certain by now is that there is a

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...

group containing ''Eupatorium'' (about 42 species of white flowered plants in North America, Europe and Asia, but not South America) and the Joe-pye weeds (''

''), and possibly others.

Uses

''Eupatorium'' are grown as

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

s, particularly in Asia. A number of popular ornamental plants formerly included in ''Eupatorium'' have been moved to other genera, such as ''

Bartlettina ''Bartlettina'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. They are native to tropical regions of Mesoamerica and South America.Conoclinium ''Conoclinium'', the mistflowers, is a genus of four species of herbaceous perennial flowering plants, native to North America. They are tall, and have blue to purple or violet flowers (occasionally white). The plants of this genus have sometim ...

''.

Tobacco leaf curl virus Tobacco leaf curl viruses (TLCV) are several species of plant pathogenic viruses in the genus ''Begomovirus ''Begomovirus'' is a genus of viruses, in the family ''Geminiviridae''. They are plant viruses that as a group have a very wide host ...

is a

pathogen In biology, a pathogen ( el, πάθος, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of") in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a germ ...

occasionally affecting plants of this genus. The foliage is eaten by some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

larvae, including those of ''

Orthonama obstipata ''Orthonama obstipata'', the gem, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1794. It is a cosmopolitan species. In continental Europe though in the northeast, its range does not signific ...

'' (The Gem).

Medical use

The common names for the plants are all based on the previous usage of one species, ''

Eupatorium perfoliatum ''Eupatorium perfoliatum'', known as common boneset or just boneset, is a North American perennial plant in the family Asteraceae. It is a common native to the Eastern United States and Canada, widespread from Nova Scotia to Florida, west as far ...

'', as an herbal medicine. Despite its name, boneset is not used to treat broken bones, instead the common name apparently derives from the herb's use to treat

dengue fever Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne tropical disease caused by the dengue virus. Symptoms typically begin three to fourteen days after infection. These may include a high fever, headache, vomiting, muscle and joint pains, and a characterist ...

, which was also called breakbone fever because of the pain that it caused. The name thoroughwort also comes from ''Eupatorium perfoliatum'', and refers to the perfoliate leaves, in which the stem appears to pierce the leaf (i.e. go through, note that in older usage "thorough" was not distinguished from "through", compare for example the word thoroughfare). Boneset, although

poison Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...

ous to humans and grazing

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...

, has been used in

folk medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...

, for instance to excrete excess

uric acid Uric acid is a heterocyclic compound of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen with the formula C5H4N4O3. It forms ions and salts known as urates and acid urates, such as ammonium acid urate. Uric acid is a product of the metabolic breakdown of ...

which causes

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot and swollen joint, caused by deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intensit ...

. Caution is advised when using boneset, since it contains

toxic Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subst ...

compounds that can cause

liver The liver is a major Organ (anatomy), organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the Protein biosynthesis, synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for ...

damage. Side effects include muscular tremors, weakness, and

constipation Constipation is a bowel dysfunction that makes bowel movements infrequent or hard to pass. The stool is often hard and dry. Other symptoms may include abdominal pain, bloating, and feeling as if one has not completely passed the bowel movement ...

; overdoses may be deadly.

Selected species

North America

* '' Eupatorium album'' L.– white thoroughwortSchmidt & Schilling (2000) * '' Eupatorium altissimum'' L. – tall thoroughwort *'' Eupatorium anomalum'' Nash – Florida thoroughwort

apomictic In botany, apomixis is asexual reproduction without fertilization. Its etymology is Greek for "away from" + "mixing". This definition notably does not mention meiosis. Thus "normal asexual reproduction" of plants, such as propagation from cuttin ...

hybrid derivative of '' Eupatorium mohrii'' and '' Eupatorium rotundifolium'' * ''

Eupatorium capillifolium ''Eupatorium capillifolium'', or dogfennel (also written "dog fennel"), is a North American perennial herbaceous plant in the family Asteraceae, native to the eastern and south-central United States. It is generally between 50 cm and 2 meter ...

'' (Lamarck) Small – dog-fennel * '' Eupatorium compositifolium'' Walter – Yankeeweed * '' Eupatorium godfreyanum'' Cronquist,

hybrid derivative of '' Eupatorium rotundifolium'' and '' Eupatorium sessilifolium'' * '' Eupatorium hyssopifolium'' L. – hyssop-leaved thoroughwort * '' Eupatorium lancifolium'' (Torrey & A.Gray) Small – lance-leaved thoroughwort * '' Eupatorium leptophyllum'' DC. – false fennel * '' Eupatorium leucolepis'' (DC.) Torrey & A.Gray – justiceweed * '' Eupatorium linearifolium'' Walter – (''Eupatorium cuneifolium'') * '' Eupatorium maritimum'' E.E.Schill. –

hybrid derivative of '' Eupatorium mohrii'' and ''

Eupatorium serotinum ''Eupatorium serotinum'', also known as late boneset or late thoroughwort, is a fall-blooming herbaceous plant native to North America. ''Eupatorium serotinum'' ranges throughout most of the eastern United States, found in every coastal state fr ...

'' * '' Eupatorium mikanioides'' Chapman – semaphore thoroughwort * '' Eupatorium mohrii'' Greene – Mohr's thoroughwort *'' Eupatorium novae-angliae'' (Fernald) V.I.Sullivan ex A.Haines & Sorrie

hybrid derivative of '' Eupatorium paludicola'' and ''

'' * '' Eupatorium paludicola'' E.E.Schill. & LeBlond – swamp thoroughwort, until 2007 classified as part of '' Eupatorium leucolepis'' * ''

'' L. – common boneset * '' Eupatorium petaloideum'' Britton – showy white thoroughwort, often considered to be part of '' Eupatorium album'' * '' Eupatorium pilosum'' Walter – rough boneset, often considered to be part of '' Eupatorium rotundifolium'' * ''

Eupatorium resinosum ''Eupatorium resinosum'', the pine barren thoroughwort, is a rare North American plant species in the family Asteraceae. ''Eupatorium resinosum'' is native to the eastern coastal states of the United States, though with a discontinuous distribut ...

'' Torrey ex DC. – pine barren boneset * '' Eupatorium rotundifolium'' L. – round-leaved thoroughwort * '' Eupatorium semiserratum'' DC. – smallflower thoroughwort * ''

'' L. – late boneset, late thoroughwort * '' Eupatorium sessilifolium'' L. – upland boneset * '' Eupatorium sullivaniae'' E.E.Schill. –

hybrid derivative of '' Eupatorium album'' and '' Eupatorium lancifolium''

Europe

* ''

Eupatorium cannabinum ''Eupatorium cannabinum'', commonly known as hemp-agrimony, or holy rope, is a herbaceous plant in the family Asteraceae. It is a robust Perennial plant, perennial native to many areas of Europe. The alkaloids may be present in the plant material ...

'' L. – hemp-agrimony

Asia

* '' Eupatorium amabile'' Kitam. * '' Eupatorium benguetense'' C.Robinson * '' Eupatorium camiguinense'' Merr. * '' Eupatorium chinense'' L. * '' Eupatorium formosanum'' Hayata * '' Eupatorium fortunei'' Turcz. – ''fujibakama'', ''pei lan'' * '' Eupatorium japonicum'' Thunb. (often included in ''E. chinense'') * '' Eupatorium lindleyanum'' DC. * '' Eupatorium luchuense'' Nakai * ''Eupatorium makinoi'' T.Kawahara & T.Yahara (see ''E. chinense'') * '' Eupatorium nodiflorum'' DC. * '' Eupatorium quaternum'' DC. * '' Eupatorium sambucifolium'' Elmer * '' Eupatorium shimadai'' Kitam. * '' Eupatorium squamosum'' D.Don * '' Eupatorium tashiroi'' Hayata * '' Eupatorium toppingianum'' Elmer * '' Eupatorium variabile'' Makino * '' Eupatorium yakushimaense'' Masam. & Kitam

Moved to other genera

* ''Eupatorium adamantium'' Gardner (moved to '' Koanophyllon'') * ''Eupatorium amygdalinum'' (moved to ''

Ayapana ''Ayapana'' is a genus of perennial herbs in the family Asteraceae. The species of ''Ayapana'' at times been classified in the genus ''Eupatorium''. The leaves, at least of ''Ayapana triplinervis'', are commonly used medicinally. ; Species ''A ...

'') * ''Eupatorium ayapana'' – aya-pana, water hemp (moved to ''

Ayapana triplinervis ''Ayapana triplinervis'' (aya-pana, water hemp) is a tropical American shrub in the family Asteraceae. This plant has long slender leaves which are often used in traditional medicine. The flowers are pale pink and the thin, hairless stem is redd ...

'') * ''Eupatorium bracteatum'' Gardn. (moved to '' Stomatanthes, S. pernambucensis'') * ''Eupatorium coelestinum'' – mistflower (moved to ''

'') * ''Eupatorium collinum'' (moved to ''

collina'') * ''Eupatorium itatiayense'' Georg Hans Emmo Wolfgang Hieronymus, Hieron. (moved to '' Symphyopappus'') * ''Eupatorium gayanum'' (moved to '' Aristeguietia gayana'') * ''Eupatorium laevigatum'' DC. (moved to ''

'') * ''Eupatorium ligustrinum'' (moved to ''

ligustrina'') * ''Eupatorium maculatum'' (moved to ''

Eutrochium maculatum ''Eutrochium maculatum'', the spotted joe-pyeweed, is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is widespread through much of the United States and Canada. It is the only species of the genus ''Eutrochium'' found ...

'') Joe-Pye weed * ''Eupatorium maximiliani''

Schrad. Heinrich Adolf Schrader (1 January 1767 in Alfeld near Hildesheim – 22 October 1836 in Göttingen) was a German botanist and mycologist. He studied medicine early in life. He named the Australian plant genus '' Hakea'' in 1797. In 1795 he ...

DC. Augustin Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (, , ; 4 February 17789 September 1841) was a Swiss botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched de Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at a herbarium. Within a couple of years de Candolle ...

(moved to ''

'') * ''Eupatorium megalophyllum'' (moved to '' Bartlettina sordida'') * ''Eupatorium officinale'' (moved to ''

'') * ''Eupatorium pacificum'' (moved to ''

'') * ''Eupatorium purpureum'' (moved to ''

Eutrochium purpureum ''Eutrochium purpureum'', commonly known as purple Joe-Pye weed or sweetscented joe pye weed, is an herbaceous perennial plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to eastern and central North America, from Ontario east to New Hampshire and sou ...

'') * ''Eupatorium pyrifolium''

(moved to '' Steyermarkina'') * ''Eupatorium rufescens'' P.W.Lund. ex

(moved to ''

Kaunia ''Kaunia'' is a genus of South American shrubs or small trees in the family Asteraceae. Its range is centered in Bolivia but it is also found in Argentina, southern Brazil, Peru and Ecuador. Genus is named for Edward Kaun of Baltimore, Maryland ...

'') * ''Eupatorium rugosum'' (moved to ''

Ageratina altissima ''Ageratina altissima'', also known as white snakeroot, richweed, or white sanicle, is a poisonous perennial herb in the family Asteraceae, native to eastern and central North America. An older binomial name for this species is ''Eupatorium rugo ...

'') * ''Eupatorium sordidum'' (moved to '' Bartlettina sordida'') * ''Eupatorium squalidum''

(moved to ''

'') * ''Eupatorium urticaefolium'' (moved to ''

'', synonym of ''A. altissima'') * ''Eupatorium vauthierianum''

(moved to '' Heterocondylus alatus'')

References

Bibliography

* (2004): ''Encyclopedia of Folk Medicine: Old World and New World Traditions.'' ABC-CLIO, Inc., Santa Barbara. * * (1995): ''Taxonomy of ''Eupatorium'' Section ''Verticillata'' (Asteraceae)''. New York Botanical Garden Press. * (2005): ''The Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine'' (2nd ed., vol. 1). Gale Group, New York.
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* * * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1123970 Medicinal plants Asteraceae genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Dioecious plants