Mistflowers

ORDER | ASTERALES

GARDENING | PLANT ID  

A dynamic study of Eupatorium, Ageratina, Conoclinium, and Chromolaena

CONOCLINIUM

Conoclinium, the mistflowers, is a genus of four species of herbaceous perennial flowering plants, native to North America.The generic name is derived from the Greek words κῶνος (kônos), meaning "cone", and κλινίον (kliníon), meaning "little bed".

Four Species of Conoclinium Mistflowers  

1. Conoclinium coelestinum. Blue mistflower.
2. Conoclinium dissectum or Conoclinium greggii. Gregg's mistflower, Palmleaf thoroughwort or Palm-leaf mistflower. Native in TX, NM, AZ.
3. Conoclinium betonicifolium (Mill.) R.M. King & H. Rob. Betonyleaf thoroughwort.
4. Conoclinium mayfieldii. Mayfield mistflower.

Conoclinium betonicifolium

Betony-leaf Mistflower, Betonyleaf Thoroughwort

This mistflower is more common on dunes, roadsides, and edges of woods. As a somewhat weak woody perennial it roots at the nodes in sand or sandy clay and found throughout the Texas coast. Does best in full sun but will bloom in shade. It has bluish flower petals and blooms from March through August. It also attracts a host of butterfly species.

Conoclinium coelestinum
Blue mistflower
 grows in eastern Texas and into the eastern edge of the Hill Country.
Map distribution (USDA)
Map distribution (BONAP)

Conoclinium greggii or Conoclinium dissectum greggii, Gregg's mistflower

Conoclinium mayfieldi, Mayfield Mistflower

This mistflower is found in Mexico. Conoclinium mayfieldii is a reclining herb up to 70 cm (28 inches) tall. Leaves are opposite, egg-shaped.

Below, I have identified, with photographs, two varieties of mistflowers.

The photographs above demonstrate the differences in the leaves. That is the best way to know which one you have. An additional difference is the Gregg's mistflower (Conoclinium dissectum or C. greggii) can be seen blooming in the summer. Generally, my blue mistflower, C. coelestinum, blooms in the fall and continues blooming into November.

Conoclinium coelestinum  ASTERACEAE 
Blue mistflower
 grows in eastern Texas and into the eastern edge of the Hill Country.
Map distribution (USDA)
Map distribution (BONAP)

Conoclinium coelestinum  ASTERACEAE 
Blue mistflower

These particular plants lived through a very hot and very dry Texas summer.
Texas Discovery Garden, Round Rock, Texas.
Map distribution (USDA)
Map distribution  (BONAP)

Conoclinium greggii or Conoclinium dissectum greggii
Gregg's mistflower
These mistflowers were in the TNLA demonstration garden
at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden.
The sign would ID the flowers that were in the bed earlier in the season.

                  

Resources for Verification:

Integrated Taxonomic Information System ITIS.gov

Map distribution Texas: 

USDA

http://bonap.net/FieldMaps/Home/Result. artesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2015. North American Plant Atlas. (http://bonap.net/napa). Chapel Hill, N.C.

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EUPATORIUM AND AGERATINA

Bonesets, Thoroughworts, and Mistflowers

Ageratina havanensis, (formerly) Eupatorium havanense. 

Havana snakeroot, shrubby boneset

The bloom time of this photograph is November 2020 in Tarrant County, Texas. The very fragrant flowers attract pollinators.

Ageratina havanensis (Kunth) King & H. Rob.  (formerly) Eupatorium havanense

Havana snakeroot, shrubby boneset, Eupatorium, boneset, thoroughwort, Barba de Viejo

This 2-6’ tall and wide deciduous shrubby perennial can get up to 6’, has white fuzzy fragrant flowers and blooms in the fall. Likes dry feet, full sun, some shade and a variety of soils. Heavy winter shearing promotes denser shape with more flowers the following year. The longer lasting blooms are on the new wood. Has toothed edged leaves that are 1-3” long. A true magnet to hummingbirds, butterflies, and many of other insects.

Leaves, Ageratina havanensis

Additionally:

Ageratina wrightii formerly Eupatorium wrightii

White Mistflower, Wright's Snakeroot, White , White Ageratum

A very drought tolerant native deciduous perennial subshrub that grows 1-2.5’ tall and blooms white from September through November, sometimes earlier. Full sun to partial shade. 

Ageratina rothrockii 

Rothrock snakeroot

found in west Texas. I would definitely include this in the study of mistflowers.

Resources for Verification:

ITIS.gov

              Species of Eupatorium 

 Eupatorium album                                              white thoroughwort
Eupatorium altissimum                                  tall thoroughwort

Eupatorium anomalum Nash.                 Florida thoroughwort (hybrid)
Eupatorium capillifolium (Lamarck)      Small dog-fennel
Eupatorium compositifolium Walter.        Yankeeweed
Eupatorium godfreyanum Cronquist, hybrid
Eupatorium hyssopifolium L.             hyssop-leaved thoroughwort
Eupatorium lancifolium (Torrey & A.Gray)  lance-leaved thoroughwort
Eupatorium leptophyllum DC.                false fennel
Eupatorium leucolepis (DC.) Torrey & A.Gray – justiceweed
Eupatorium linearifolium Walter.                    Waxy thoroughwort
Eupatorium mikanioides Chapman – semaphore thoroughwort
Eupatorium mohrii Greene                       Mohr's thoroughwort
Eupatorium paludicola E.E.Schill. & LeBlond – swamp thoroughwort.
Eupatorium perfoliatum L.                 common boneset
Eupatorium petaloideum Britton          showy white thoroughwort
Eupatorium pilosum Walter.                     rough boneset
Eupatorium resinosum Torrey ex DC.      pine barren boneset
Eupatorium rotundifolium L.               roundleaf thoroughwort
Eupatorium semiserratum DC.  smallflower thoroughwort
Eupatorium serotinum L.                             lateflowering thoroughwort
Eupatorium sessilifolium L.                 upland boneset

Eupatorium perfoliatum

Common Boneset

Common Boneset is a very drought tolerant hairy plant that has 3-6’ tall stems with an arrangement of rather dull white fuzzy clusters of flowers and has paired leaves. It blooms June through October and tolerates a variety of soils. 

Resources to verify:

Integrated Taxonomic Information System ITIS.gov

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CHROMOLAENA

Chromolaena odorata (L.) R. M. King and H. Rob

Jack in the bush, Common boneset

Jack in the bush, Common Boneset is a very drought tolerant hairy plant that has 3-6’ tall stems with an arrangement of rather dull white fuzzy clusters of flowers and has paired leaves. It blooms June through October and tolerates a variety of soils.

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Bibliography.                                          

           Eason, Michael. Wildflower of Texas. North Adams: Timber Press, Incorporated, 2018.

Ajilvsgi, Geyata, Butterfly Gardening for Texas, TX A & M U. Press, College Station, 2013 Diggs, George, Barney Lipscomb, Robert O’Kennon, Shinners and Mahler’s Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas, Austin College and BRIT Publishers, 1999, pages 572-4 Eastman, John, Wildflowers of the Eastern United States, Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA, 2014 

Wasowski, Sally & Andy, Native Texas Plants, Landscaping Region by Region, Gulf Publishing, Houston, 1991 Wills, Mary Motz, Howard Irwin, Roadside Flowers of Texas, U of TX Press, Austin, 1969

City of Austin. 2009. Native and Adapted Landscape Plants: An Earthwise Guide for Central Texas. Fourth Edition. Texas Agrilife Extension: Austin. 

Diggs, G.M., B.L. Lipscomb, R.J. O'Kennon. 1999. Shinners and Mahler's Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas. BRIT: Fort Worth.

Diggs, G.M., B.L. Lipscomb, M.D. Reed, R.J. O'Kennon. 2006 Illustrated Flora of East Texas, Volume One. BRIT: Fort Worth. Foraging Tex

The Dirt Doctor, Howard Garrett. www.dirtdoctor.org 

Turner, Billie; Nichols, Holly; Denny, Geoffrey C.; & Doron, Oded. 2003. Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Texas. USDA. 2013. 

Wasowski, S. and A. Wasowski. 1998. Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region, Second Edition. Lone Star Books: Lanham. 

 My Favorite Online Authoritative Sources for Plant Identification 

Taxonomy Searchable Databases
Professional	IAPT	International Association of Plant Taxonomy (member only)	Http://www.iaptglobal.org (member only)
Professional	IAPT	International Association of Plant Taxonomy (Instagram)	International Association of Plant Taxonomy (member only)
Professional	IABMS	International Association of Botanical and Mycological Societies	https://www.iaptglobal.org/iabms
Professional		TAXON Journal	https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/19968175
	CoL	Species 2000 Catalog of Life	https://www.catalogueoflife.org/
	ITIS	Integrated Taxonomic Information System (USGS and Smithsonian	itis.gov
	EoL	Encyclopedia of Life	https://eol.org/
	BONAP (distribution maps)	Biota of North America	http://www.bonap.org
	BONAP	Biota of North America	https://cmr.earthdata.nasa.gov/search/concepts/C1214613085-SCIOPS.html
	GBIF	Global Biodiversity Information Facility	https://www.gbif.org/
	USDA (maps)	United States Department of Agriculture Plants Database	https://plants.usda.gov/home
	ARS-GRIN	Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN)	https://www.ars-grin.gov/
	LJWC	Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Austin, Texas Native Plant Database	www.wildflower.org/plants
	TAMU (Texas)	Texas A and M University, College Station, Texas (Native trees)	https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/texasnativetrees/
	UofTX (Texas)	The University of Texas, Billie L. Turner Plant Resource Center	http://w3.biosci.utexas.edu/prc/K12/
	iNat	California Academy of Sciences and the National Geographic Society	https://www.inaturalist.org/
	GSPC	Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC)	http://www.theplantlist.org/
	WFO	World Flora Online (WFO)	www.worldfloraonline.org
	MBG	Missouri Botanical Garden	https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/
	NYBG	The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG)	https://www.nybg.org/
	RBGE	The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE)	http://www.rbge.org.uk/
	RBG	Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew	https://www.kew.org/
	IPNI	International Plant Name Index	IPNI.org
	(wetlands)	U. S. Army Corp of Engineers Wetlands, Vermont, N H.	http://wetland-plants.usace.army.mil/nwpl_static/v34/home/home.html
	NAEB BRIT	Native American Ethnobotany (BRIT and University of Michigan - Dearborn) (SYOR)	http://naeb.brit.org
	NPN	Native Plant Network - USDA Forest Service	https://npn.rngr.net/
	SEINet (includes)	SW Biodivirsity	http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/
		Consortium of Midwest Herbaria
		Consortium of Southern Rocky Mountain Herbaria
		Intermountain Regional Herbarium Network
		Madrean Discovery Expeditions (MDE)
		Mid-Atlantic Herbaria Consortium
		North American Network of Small Herbaria
		North Great Plains Herbaria
		Red de Herbarios del Noroeste de México (northern Mexico)
		SERNEC (Southeast USA)
		Texas Oklahoma Regional Consortium of Herbaria (TORCH)

 

      

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