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Moore, April

Conoclinium coelestinum

Conoclinium coelestinum (L.) DC.

Blue Mistflower, Wild Ageratum, Blue Boneset

Asteraceae (Aster Family)

Synonym(s): Eupatorium coelestinum

USDA Symbol: Coco13

USDA Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (I?)

Mistflower grows to 3 feet high, but often lower, with leaves opposite, somewhat triangular in shape, and bluntly toothed. At the top of the plant the branches, with their short-stemmed clusters of flowers, form an almost flat top. Disc flowers are bright blue or violet, about 1/4 inch long. There are no ray flowers.

Blue Mistflower attracts bees and butterflies. However, this wildflower spreads quickly and can become a pest.

From the Image Gallery

50 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Size Notes: Up to about 3 feet tall.
Leaf: Green
Fruit: Fruit is a cypsela (pl. cypselae). Though technically incorrect, the fruit is often referred to as an achene.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Blue , Purple
Bloom Time: Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct , Nov

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , DC , DE , FL , GA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MD , MI , MO , MS , NC , NE , NJ , NY , OH , OK , PA , SC , TN , TX , VA , WV
Native Distribution: NJ to s. IL & e. KS, s. to FL & TX
Native Habitat: Wood margins; stream banks; low woods; wet meadows; ditches

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist
CaCO3 Tolerance: Medium
Soil Description: Moist loam, sand, or clay.
Conditions Comments: Blue mistflower is good as a border plant or as a colonizing groundcover. The fluffy-edged flowers are a magnet for late-season butterflies. It also spreads quickly and can become a pest.

Benefit

Use Wildlife: This wildflower attracts bees and butterflies.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Attracts: Birds , Butterflies
Nectar Source: yes

Value to Beneficial Insects

Special Value to Native Bees
Supports Conservation Biological Control

This information was provided by the Pollinator Program at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

Propagation

Propagation Material: Seeds
Description: Propagate by root division or by seed. Sow seeds in fall or provide cold stratification. Mist flower can also be propagated by "softwood" cuttings taken in late spring.
Seed Collection: Seeds can be allowed to dry out before sowing.
Seed Treatment: This species requires or benefits from a three month period of cold moist stratification in the refrigerator.
Commercially Avail: yes

Find Seed or Plants

Order seed of this species from Native American Seed and help support the Wildflower Center.

Mr. Smarty Plants says

Attracting butterflies in Tennessee
July 03, 2009
What flowers and plants do the caterpillars in Tennessee eat? And do you know what butterflies live in Tipton Co. Tennessee?
view the full question and answer

Native plants to stabilize a steep bank in Pennsylvania
April 23, 2008
I would like to use native plantings to stabilize a steep bank of a septic leach field in eastern Pennsylvania. My purpose is to control erosion and to eliminate the need for mowing. What would you r...
view the full question and answer

National Wetland Indicator Status

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	FAC				FAC	FACW		FACW	FAC

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.1 (Lichvar, R.W. 2013. The National Wetland Plant List: 2013 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2013-49: 1-241). Click here for map of regions.

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Naval Air Station Kingsville - Kingsville, TX
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Austin, TX
Delaware Nature Society - Hockessin, DE
Patsy Glenn Refuge - Wimberley, TX
Stengl Biological Research Station - Smithville, TX
NPSOT - Austin Chapter - Austin, TX
NPSOT - Williamson County Chapter - Georgetown, TX
Mt. Cuba Center - Hockessin, DE

Herbarium Specimen(s)

NPSOT 0685 Collected Nov 22, 1993 in Bexar County by Mike Fox

1 specimen(s) available in the Digital Herbarium

Wildflower Center Seed Bank

LBJWC-1137 Collected 2007-11-09 in Fort Bend County by Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

1 collection(s) available in the Wildflower Center Seed Bank

Bibliography

Bibref 1620 - Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Reprint Edition) (2009) Wasowski, S. with A. Wasowski
Bibref 318 - Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region (2002) Wasowski, S. & A. Wasowski
Bibref 248 - Texas Wildflowers: A Field Guide (1984) Loughmiller, C. & L. Loughmiller
Bibref 1294 - The Midwestern Native Garden: Native Alternatives to Nonnative Flowers and Plants An Illustrated Guide (2011) Adelman, Charlotte and Schwartz, Bernard L.

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Research Literature

Reslit 1301 - The common occurrence of incompletely developed pollen of Eupatorium (Compositae : Eupatorieae) (2003) J. J. Skvarla, J. R. Rowley, W. F. Chissoe and P. ...
Reslit 1732 - Two new flavones from Eupatorium coelestinum (1979) N. Levan and T. V. C. Pham
Reslit 1778 - Alkaloids of Conoclinium coelestinum (L.) DC., Eupatorium compositifolium Walt., and E. altissimum L.: Isolation of crystalline intermedine from C. coelestinum (1981) W. Herz, P. Kulanthaivel, P. S. Subramanian, C. C....
Reslit 2150 - Synthesis of Eupatorium coelestinum Flavone (1981) D. K. Bhardwaj, A. K. Gupta, R. K. Jain and A. Ran...

This information was provided by the Florida WIldflower Foundation.
Search More Titles in Research Literature

Additional resources

USDA: Find Conoclinium coelestinum in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Conoclinium coelestinum in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Conoclinium coelestinum

Metadata

Record Modified: 2021-09-16
Research By: TWC Staff, GDB

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