JOE PYE WEED
About Joe Pye Weed
Joe Pye weed is a hardy native plant to this region. It can survive even the harshest winters. It is not only an edible and medicinal plant, it is also a great plant for edging gardens and large enough to make any area private. Butterflies love visiting the pink flowers.
The entire plant is edible, with the flowers used for a tea, roots for for diuretics as well as kidney issues, inflammation and fever. Joe Pye weed is a sweat inducer and should be used with caution.
Primary use
Medicinal
Edible parts
Leaves, flowers and roots
Medicinal
Roots and flowers are diuretic
Roots and leaves steep in a tea for fever and inflammation
Foraging Plant information list
This is not a complete list, this is a list of the species I have directly witnessed in my travels here in Northwest Ontario. If you find something before I do, email me and let me know.
Lambs Quarters
Joe Pye Weed
Cattails
Labrador Tea
Creeping Charlie (Ground Ivy)
Chickweed
Clover (Red)
Clover (White)
Clover (Sweet White)
Fiddleheads
Fireweed
Goldenrod
Bull Thistle
New England Aster
Saskatoon (Service berry)
Blueberry
Pin Cherry
Hazelnuts
Raspberry
Red Currants
Cranberry
Thimble Berry
Cloud Berry
Squashberry (Low bush Cranberry)
Spruce Tips
Birch
Juniper
Willow
Identification
Red woody stem and one to two meters tall at maturity. Large clusters of pink flowers top the upper branch blooming from July into September.
Where to look
Along roadsides/disturbed areas, they enjoy sun and a multitude of soil types. Driving bush roads where the roadsides are cut back regularly provide great habitat.
