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Coastal Plain Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium dubium)

A perennial of moist, sandy, acidic soils native to the coastal plain from New England south through South Carolina.

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Hollow Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium fistulosum)

A tall perennial of moist, rich, disturbed sites, native to the eastern U.S.; the tallest Eutrochium.

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Persian Silktree (Albizia julibrissin)

A small nitrogen-fixing tree native to the warmer parts of Asia. and planted as an ornamental in the US, where it has become invasive.

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Yukon Flats

A bottomland area in east-central Alaska featuring meandering rivers, poor drainage, and an unusually cold, dry climate.

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Interior Bottomlands

A low region in interior Alaska, featuring Fairbanks, and a mosaic of forests, open wetlands, and meandering rivers.

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Interior Forested Lowlands and Uplands

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Partridge Pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) vs. Persian Silktree (Albizia julibrissin)

These two nitrogen-fixing legumes are frequently confused as seedlings. Both have compound leaves with leaflets of similar size and shape, and both are earlier colonizers of sunny, disturbed habitats. The robust, often reddish-colored stalk of partridge pea can lead it to be confused with a woody plant. Mature plants are wildly dissimilar, and young plants are easily distinguished by close examination of leaf structure.

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Hollow Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium fistulosum) vs. Sweetscented Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum)

These species are frequently confused where their ranges overlap in the eastern and lower Midwestern U.S. Although they can occur relatively near each other on the same site, they have mostly non-overlapping habitat preferences. They can usually be distinguished by characteristics of their stem, and often also by their height, inflorescence shape, and number of leaves per whorl. E. purpureum ranges farther north and northwest, and occurs in drier, shadier, better-drained habitats. E. fistulosum ranges farther south and prefers moister, sunnier, more disturbed habitats, and is more tolerant of flooding and waterlogged soils.

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Coastal Plain Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium dubium) vs. Hollow Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium fistulosum)

These plants are sometimes confused where their ranges overlap in southern New England through the Mid-Atlantic. They are easily distinguished by their stems and leaf vein pattern, and often also by height or number of leaves per whorl. E. dubium is slightly more tolerant of shade and drier conditions, prefers less-disturbed habitats, and is limited to acidic soil, mostly near the coast. E. fistulosum requires more nutrient-rich soil and sun, favors more disturbed areas, and is more common farther inland.

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