Quercus

Tall Thoroughwort

Eupatorium altissimum

Native to Kentucky (estimated)

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

37CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including KY

Genus host records with ranges including KY · Eupatorium

  • Agonopterix pulvipennellaGoldenrod Leaffolder, Featherduster Agonopterix
  • Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
  • Carmenta bassiformisEupatorium Borer Moth, Ironweed Clearwing Moth
  • Carmenta pyralidiformisBoneset Borer Moth
  • Chlorochlamys chloroleucariaBlackberry Looper Moth
  • Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
  • Cisseps fulvicollisYellow-Collared Scape Moth
  • Condica vecorsDusky Groundling
  • Dichomeris setosellaHairy Dichomeris
  • Digrammia continuataCurve-Lined Angle
Show all 37
  • Dysodia oculatanaEyed Thyris
  • Estigmene acreaSalt Marsh Moth, Acrea Moth
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Feltia subgothicaSubgothic Dart
  • Feltia tricosaConfused Dart, Tricose Dart
  • Haploa clymeneClymene Moth
  • Hellinsia unicolorUnmarked Plume Moth
  • Oedemasia concinnaRed-Humped Caterpillar, Red-Humped Appleworm
  • Oidaematophorus eupatoriiEupatorium Plume Moth
  • Orthodes majusculaRustic Quaker, Rustic Groundcat
  • Ostrinia obumbratalisSmartweed Borer
  • Papaipema cataphractaBurdock Border, Potato-Stalk Borer
  • Papaipema eupatoriiJoe-Pye Weed Borer, Eupatorium Borer Moth
  • Papaipema harrisiiHeracleum Stem Borer Moth, Cow Parsnip Borer
  • Patania silicalisHerbivorous Patania, Herbivorous Pleuroptya
  • Perigea xanthioidesRed Groundling
  • Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
  • Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
  • Schinia trifasciaThree-Lined Flower Moth
  • Spoladea recurvalisHawaiian Beet Webworm
  • Synchlora aerataWavy-Lined Emerald, Camouflaged Looper
  • Synchlora frondariaSouthern Emerald
  • Tornos scolopacinariaDimorphic Gray
  • Agonopterix eupatoriiella
  • Chionodes pseudofondella
  • Dichomeris washingtoniella
  • Dichrorampha leopardana
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
34BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Eupatorium

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
2Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Eupatorium

  • Colletes simulans
  • Megachile xylocopoides
Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Eupatorium

  • Ortalis vetulaPlain Chachalaca
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
Flies 16
  • Alophora fumosa
  • Anthrax hypomelas
  • Archytas analis
  • Archytas aterrima
  • Conops xanthopareus
  • Ennyomma globosa
  • Exoprosopa fasciata
  • Graphomyia americana
  • Leskiomima secunda
  • Milesia ornata
Show all 16
  • Morellia micans
  • Phorantha asteris
  • Scepsis fulvicollis
  • Senotainia trilineata
  • Spallanzania hesperidarum
  • Spilomyia longicornis

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Adult butterflies / moths 3
  • Limochores taumas
  • Phyciodes tharos
  • Pontia protodice

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Other wasps 12
  • Ancistrocerus tigris
  • Bicyrtes ventralis
  • Eucerceris zonatus
  • Eumenes fraternus
  • Isodontia apicalis
  • Philanthus ventilabris
  • Polistes annularis
  • Polistes pallipes
  • Polistes variatus
  • Sphex nigricans
Show all 12
  • Sphex procera
  • Zethus spinipes

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Asteraceae
Hardiness
Zones 4a–8b
Soil pH
Neutral
Flower color
Cream or white

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Tall Thoroughwort

Conservation status

Kentucky rankS5
Global rankG5
KY statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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