joe-pye weed

noun

: any of several tall North American perennial composite herbs (especially Eutrochium maculatum and E. purpureum) with whorled leaves and corymbose heads of typically purplish tubular flowers

Examples of joe-pye weed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Taller plants, such as joe-pye weed, are sown in the middle. Bill McKibben, The New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2024 Like Eupatorium maculatum [spotted joe-pye weed], Asclepias tuberosa [butterfly weed] and species of echinacea [coneflower], aster and eryngium [sea holly]. John Wogan Carmen Winant, New York Times, 28 Nov. 2023 The agency is also asking people to plant and encourage the planting of good nectar sources like red clover, foxglove, bee balm, and joe-pye weed to give the besieged honey bees a boost. Smriti Rao, Discover Magazine, 26 Mar. 2010 Many species of caterpillars exclusively eat milkweed leaves, and butterflies consume nectar from natives, including wild bergamots, yarrows and joe-pye weed. Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2022 But also hickory, chestnut, elms and birches, and joe-pye weed, aster, marsh marigold, skunk cabbage, snakeweed. Matthew Cicanese and Erika Reiter, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Apr. 2020

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1818, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of joe-pye weed was in 1818

Dictionary Entries Near joe-pye weed

Cite this Entry

“Joe-pye weed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/joe-pye%20weed. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!