Eupatorium cannabinum
Commonly known as: Hemp-agrimony / Holy Rope
Family: Asteraceae – Daisy Family.
Height: Up to 1.5m. Width: 1.2m
Flowers: July to early September.
Hemp-agrimony is a common plant in the south and midlands, not so common further north in the UK. It is a native Perennial over most of Europe and into the east as far as China. Also found in the United States and into Canada.
Habitat: Prefers damp ground and moisture in the air, usually found along rivers, side of Lakes and ponds, along the sides of soak away ditches, damp grasslands and amongst humid rich hedgerows.
The seedlings are known as “Pappus seedlings.” (Latin, “Pappus” meaning old man) The tiny fruit (an achene) is about 2 to 3mm long, attached to hairs that vary in length from 3 to 5mm, these have a hairy & feathery like appearance, soon the pappus seedlings will then dispersed, by the wind.
This plant, is a very important food source for wildlife, a wide variety of insects benefit from the nectar and the flowers rich in pollen. These include bees, hoverflies, pollen eating flies, butterflies and especially for moths. Birds feed on the seeds in autumn, also fish will feed on the seeds that fall into the water.