Dogfennel (Eupatorium capillifolium)

I was looking up some facts about Dogfennel and these are interesting:

• When crushed, they have an unpleasant smell
• Thrives on roadsides
• Native to South and East USA (Massachusetts south to Florida, West to Missouri) and also Cuba and the Bahamas
• Wind-pollinated unlike flowering plants
• Known to be planted by Johnny Appleseed
• Eaten by Florida's scarlet-bodied wasp moth (Cosmosoma myrodora)
• Contains liver-damaging pyrrolizidine alkaloids
• Can be extracted into essential oils and has anti-fungal properties

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/131154-Eupatorium-capillifolium#cite_note-Weeds-4

• The species name capillifolium is derived from the Latin capill meaning “hair” and folium meaning “leaf,” referring to the thin segments of the leaves.
• The common name refers to the fennel-like odor, which dogs appear to enjoy

https://vnps.org/johnclayton/2015/10/22/dog-fennel-september-wildflower-of-the-month/#:~:text=The%20common%20name%20refers%20to,bites%20of%20reptiles%20and%20insects.

• Johnny planted the seeds of Dog Fennel in the barnyards and hedgerows of Mohican Country from about 1810-1830 because he honestly believed its medicinal and curative properties were earnestly needed on the wild frontier.
• By the 1880s & 90s the term Dog Fennel Party was applied to any politician who was worthless and smelled bad. Any little crossroad in America where folks were too lazy to keep the weeds from growing wild in their streets was called a Dog Fennel Town.

https://richlandcountyhistory.com/2019/07/06/richland-invasives-a-tale-of-hope/#:~:text=Johnny%20Appleseed's%20other%20Botanical%20Legacy&text=It%20was%20called%20Dog%20Fennel,needed%20on%20the%20wild%20frontier.

Posted on July 17, 2023 02:15 PM by zzravizz