Wild quinine

Sun

Full sun is best; tolerates light partial shade but may flower less and lean.

Water

Moderate while establishing; tolerates dry spells once well rooted.

Soil

Well-drained loam, clay loam or sandy soil; tolerates relatively poor soil but dislikes prolonged winter wet.

Height

2-4 ft (0.6-1.2 m)

Spread

1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m)

Flowers

Late spring through summer, sometimes into early autumn; small, creamy-white flower heads in broad clusters.

Foliage

Coarse, rough-textured green leaves, with large, toothed basal leaves and smaller leaves up the stems.

Growth

Moderate; young plants can take a few seasons to form substantial clumps.

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Deer resistant
• Drought tolerant
• Cold hardy
• Wildlife

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1 ft (0.3 m)

2. After 1 year

   1.6 ft (0.5 m)

3. After 2 years

   2.3 ft (0.7 m)

4. After 3 years

   3 ft (0.9 m)

   full size

About 3 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Mildly toxic: may upset a stomach

Native to

the US

Growth rate

Moderate

• Water deeply during dry spells in the first growing season; established plants usually need little supplementary water.
• Avoid rich feeding, which can produce softer stems that lean or flop.
• Apply a light mulch if needed for weed control, keeping it clear of the crown.
• Plant in full sun to encourage upright stems; staking is rarely needed in a suitable site.
• Leave established clumps undisturbed unless division is necessary; their deep roots make moving difficult.

Pruning. Leave dry stems standing through winter if you want seed heads and insect shelter. Cut them back to just above ground level in late winter or early spring before new growth develops.

Late winter

Cut down old stems before fresh basal growth becomes difficult to avoid.

Spring

Plant container-grown plants in well-drained soil and water thoroughly.

Late spring

Weed around young clumps and apply a light mulch without covering the crown.

Summer

Water new plants during prolonged dry weather; established clumps generally need less attention.

Autumn

Leave seed heads standing, or collect ripe seed when the heads become dry and brown.

Late autumn

Sow fresh seed outdoors in a protected pot or prepared nursery bed for natural winter chilling.

• Plant in small groups through prairie-style borders for white flowers among grasses and stronger flower colours.
• Use in the middle of a sunny mixed border, where its upright stems rise above lower plants.
• Combine with purple coneflowers and blazing stars for a long-flowering pollinator planting.
• Include in a white garden for small, textured flowers rather than large, showy blooms.

Garden styles it suits: Native meadow, Midwest prairie, New perennial (prairie), Pollinator garden, Low-maintenance and White garden.

Plant it with: Purple coneflower, Butterfly weed, Prairie blazing star, Little bluestem, Prairie dropseed and Black-eyed Susan.

Wildlife: Flowers attract a wide range of small bees, wasps, flies and other beneficial insects. Standing stems can provide overwintering shelter for insects. Deer and rabbits generally leave the coarse foliage alone, although browsing is still possible.

• Weak or leaning stems in shade or overly rich soil: move to a sunnier position and stop feeding.
• Crown or root rot in persistently wet ground: improve drainage or replant on higher ground.
• Poor establishment after moving mature plants: transplant only when necessary, retain as much root as possible and water carefully while roots recover.
• Occasional leaf spots: remove badly affected foliage and improve spacing; treatment is seldom necessary.

Poisoning risk from this species is not well documented for people, cats, dogs or horses. Do not eat any part or use it as a home remedy. Contact with foliage may cause skin irritation in sensitive people, particularly those allergic to daisy-family plants.

• Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium)

  Feverfew has conspicuous white daisy petals around yellow centres and deeply lobed leaves; wild quinine has compact white heads without obvious daisy petals and mostly undivided leaves.

• Parthenium weed (Parthenium hysterophorus)

  This invasive annual has deeply divided leaves and a more finely branched habit. Wild quinine is a clump-forming perennial with broad, mostly undivided basal leaves.

• Pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea)

  Pearly everlasting has narrow leaves with woolly, pale undersides and papery white flower heads; wild quinine has broader, coarse green leaves.

The common name refers to its historical use as a substitute for quinine, while integrifolium refers to its mostly undivided leaves.

Propagation. Grow from seed sown outdoors in autumn, or give seed about 60 days of cold, moist treatment before spring sowing. Divide clumps in early spring only when needed, retaining substantial roots on each division; seedlings are usually easier to establish than divisions from old plants.

Accepted botanical name

Parthenium integrifolium

In the US and Canada

Native in the lower 48 states.

Native range

Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland and Masachusettes.

Measured

Average height 84 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.