States
North CarolinaTennesseeGeorgiaSouth CarolinaKentuckyAlabamaArkansasFloridaLouisianaMississippiVirginiaWest Virginia
Menu

Tall Thoroughwort

Eupatorium altissimum

Found in woodlands, old fields, woodland borders, and openings over mafic rocks (such as diabase) or calcareous rocks (such as limestone and calcareous sandstone). Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

84
Keystone

Native to West Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
2–6 feet
Spread
2–3 feet
Light
Full to part sun
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 2.5 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 16 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
August to November

Not yet recorded · Leaves

Recorded in 4 West Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

Forest edges and thickets

Borders of forests, clearings and shrubby thickets.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

36CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · 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 36
  • 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
  • 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
  • Perigea xanthioidesRed Groundling
  • Phragmatobia fuliginosaRuby Tiger Moth
  • Phragmatobia lineataLined Ruby Tiger Moth
  • Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
  • Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
  • Schinia trifasciaThree-Lined Flower Moth
  • Spoladea recurvalisHawaiian Beet Webworm
  • Synchlora aerataWavy-Lined Emerald, Camouflaged Looper
  • Tornos scolopacinariaDimorphic Gray
  • Agonopterix atrodorsella
  • Agonopterix eupatoriiella
  • Chionodes pseudofondella
  • Dichomeris washingtoniella
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)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

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

Conservation status

West Virginia rankS5
Global rankG5
WV statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

Choose a county to begin.

How to check your spot

Growing cautions

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Sources