Eupatorium vaseyi Porter

Locations ofEupatorium vaseyi Porter in Virginia

Show image without county labels

Detail

Family
Asteraceae
Botanical Name
Eupatorium vaseyi Porter
Common Name
Vasey's Thoroughwort
Synonym(s)
Eupatorium album L. var. vaseyi (T.C. Porter) Cronq.; Eupatorium album L. var. monardifolium Fern.
Flora of Virginia Name/Status
Eupatorium vaseyi Porter
Comments
The status of this species in Virginia is poorly understood due to widespread misapplication of the name E. vaseyi, or lumping with other species. In the past, the name was misapplied to the species now known as E. godfreyanum. Subsequently, E. vaseyi was considered a var. of E. sessilifolium or E. album, the latter treatment (E. album var. vaseyi) maintained by Siripun and Schilling (2006) in FNA. As currently interpreted, this species is similar to E. album var. album, but has glabrate, acute, evenly serrate leaves (vs. pubescent, obtuse, regularly to irregularly often crenately toothed leaves in E. album) and its white-tipped phyllaries are less attenuate than those of E. album var. album. According to Flora of the Southeastern U.S., the only confirmed records based on recent molecular work (Schilling 2011, Syst. Bot. 36(4): 1088-1100) are from AR, TN, and KY but the species should be sought elsewhere. Virginia plants seem to fit, but further study is needed to determine whether our plants are consistent with AR-TN-KY plants determined by Schilling (2011) to be E. vaseyi, or whether they represent another cryptic taxon in the E. album complex.
Habitat
Dry woodlands, clearings, old fields, and roadsides. The distribution and status of this species are incompletely known due to past taxonomic and nomenclatural confusion. Recent herbarium and field work strongly suggests that it is widely distributed but very infrequent over most of the state; additional study is needed.
Native Status
Native

To save this map, right-click (control-click for Mac users) on the map and choose "Save Image As...".