Sun Exposure: Sun
Soil Moisture: Medium-Wet, Medium, Medium-Dry
Soil Type: Loam, Sand, Clay
Height: 2 - 3 feet
Spread: 2 feet
Blooms: July, August, September
Root: Taproot
Habitat: Prairies, Rocky upland forests, Savannas, Limestone glades
Landscape uses: Pollinator garden, Naturalized areas, Deer and Rabbit resistant
Wildlife Value: The flowers are visited by Halictine bees and other small insects such as wasps, flies and beetles.
Seed Origin: Coldwater, ON (Wildflower Farm seed supplier)
Germination Code: C60
Photo credits: #2 by SEWilco
Parthenium integrifolium - Wild Quinine
Wild Quinine is an interesting plant with pearly white dense flower heads that attract a variety of small bees. This gorgeous plant has an upright form, excellent foliage, a long bloom time, and resistance to insects and disease. The leaves have been used for tea in order to reduce fevers, hence the names Wild Quinine and American Feverfew.
Wild Quinine is native to Eastern US, just south of Ontario.
The plant is especially valuable for its support of native bees, attracting sweat bees (Halictus, Lassioglossum, and Agapostemon), mining bees (Andrena), small carpenter bees (Ceratina) and yellow-faced bees (Hylaeus) just to name a few. Wild quinine is a fly favorite, attracting soldier flies (Stratiomys and Odontomyia), Syrphid flies (Syrphidae), Tachnid flies (Tachnidae), and others. Far from the common housefly, these flies are both pollinators and predators. In their larval form, many of these flies are valuable pest-eating insects.