Eupatorium cannabinum Plenum

Eupatorium cannabinum Plenum is a sturdy and tall herbaceous plant with double flowers in old rose to violet pink corymbs.

It is a herbaceous perennial plant in the Asteraceae family, also known as Hemp agrimony, Water-hemp, Holy Rope or Hemlock Parsley. It is the only Eupatorium species that grows naturally in Europe. All other varieties are American. It gets its name from the resemblance of its leaves to those of cannabis or Indian hemp. This beautiful deciduous foliage is a very deep dark green. The leaves, with their leaflets, are both divided and lanceolate like those of hemp. The plant proudly bears its heads on top of its strong wine-coloured stems, reaching a height of 1.20 to 1.50 m. It commonly reaches a width of 60 cm (24in). The corymb heads can reach a diameter of 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6in). It is true that flowering is a bit late, but it can enhance a garden throughout the summer until early autumn. It maintains its decorative aspect in winter thanks to its fruiting topped with small fluffy plumes that will disperse with the wind.

Eupatorium cannabinum Plenum is an easy-to-grow plant: it is resistant to insects and diseases. It is an extraordinary nectar plant. It attracts all pollinators, especially butterflies. It is hardy and can withstand temperatures as low as -15°C (5°F). It is also a plant called an indicator: in its natural state, it prefers moist to wet soils. It thus indicates a certain degree of soil moisture. It can therefore be planted by a pond. It adapts to all types of soils but prefers moist, rich, and heavy ones. They will be superb in a wild garden at the back of a flower bed, accompanied by astilbes, filipendulas, or willowherbs. Prune the stems in autumn to maintain a more compact habit.

Eupatorium derives its name from the Persian emperor Mithridates Eupator, who boasted of surviving the ingestion of poisons thanks to a powerful antidote. However, the knowledge of the time does not allow us to say with certainty whether the antidote in question was truly Eupatorium or Agrimonia, two plants that have strong formal similarities. Eupatorium cannabinum (not Agrimonia) was once used for its healing properties in Europe and traditionally in China for certain types of headaches.