Flower profile

Dogfennel

Eupatorium capillifolium

Native in the lower 48

Dogfennel is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 8 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in October–November.

21states

8of our state lists

21,199U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina

Quick look

Eupatorium capillifolium, or dog fennel, is a North American perennial herbaceous plant in the family Asteraceae, native to the eastern and south-central United States. It is generally between 50 cm and 2 meters tall with several stems that fork from a substantial base. The stems and base are covered in leaves so dissected that they resemble branching green threads coming out of the stem in fractal patterns.
From Wikipedia's article Eupatorium capillifolium, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Asteraceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 21 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
In Florida, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in October–December. ^iNaturalist
In North Carolina, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in October–November. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 4,918 research-grade sightings of it in Florida, ranking #36 among the 110 flowers on our Florida list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 3,583 research-grade sightings of it in North Carolina, ranking #37 among the 111 flowers on our North Carolina list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,701 research-grade sightings of it in Georgia, ranking #16 among the 111 flowers on our Georgia list. ^iNaturalist

Dogfennel gift ideas

Handmade dogfennel gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

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Dogfennel art print
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (339 records)

Bloom time in each of our 8 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Florida	Native	October–December	4,918
North Carolina	Native	October–November	3,583
Georgia	Native	September–November	2,701
South Carolina	Native	few records	1,477
Alabama	Native	October–November	1,404
Louisiana	Native	few records	1,063
Mississippi	Native	October–November	577
Delaware	Native	few records	409

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Florida: Not listed Not on Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055). NatureServe: S5, secure in Florida. ^{FAC 5B-40.0055}
North Carolina: Not listed Not on North Carolina Protected Plant Species List (02 NCAC 48F .0301). NatureServe: S5, secure in North Carolina. ^{02 NCAC 48F .0301}
Georgia: Not listed Not on Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Georgia. ^{Ga. R. 391-4-10-.09}
South Carolina: No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in South Carolina.
Alabama: No list Alabama has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alabama ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Alabama.
Louisiana: No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Louisiana.
Mississippi: No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Mississippi.
Delaware: Not listed Not on Rare and Uncommon Plants of Delaware (DNREC, 2024; informational, Delaware has no state plant-protection list). NatureServe: S5, secure in Delaware. ^{DE rare plants 2024}
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleCaution: partly edible, partly poisonous

NC State Extension lists it as poisonous to humans (severity: medium). Poisonous parts: bark, fruits, leaves, roots, stems. Symptoms they list: “Contains liver-damaging alkaloids. Do not consume the plant.” They also note: “toxic” ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records dogfennel in 21 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia.

Florida counties with USDA records: Alachua, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Jackson, Jefferson, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Nassau, Okaloosa, Okeechobee, Orange, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton, Washington.

North Carolina counties with USDA records: Alamance, Alexander, Beaufort, Bertie, Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Catawba, Chatham, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Dare, Davidson, Davie, Duplin, Durham, Edgecombe, Franklin, Gaston, Gates, Granville, Greene, Guilford, Halifax, Harnett, Hertford, Hoke, Hyde, Iredell, Johnston, Jones, Lee, Lenoir, Lincoln, Martin, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Nash, New Hanover, Northampton, Onslow, Orange, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Pender, Pitt, Randolph, Richmond, Robeson, Rockingham, Rowan, Sampson, Scotland, Stanly, Transylvania, Tyrrell, Union, Vance, Wake, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Wilson, Yancey.

Georgia counties with USDA records: Baker, Barrow, Bartow, Camden, Chatham, Clarke, Colquitt, Dawson, Dougherty, Elbert, Fulton, Glynn, Grady, Greene, Hall, Harris, Irwin, Jones, Lanier, Liberty, Long, McIntosh, Mitchell, Morgan, Thomas, Tift, Worth.

More Florida flowers

Common yarrow

Achillea millefolium

Introduced

🌼 Blooms: April–September

White snakeroot

Ageratina altissima

Native

🌼 Blooms: August–October

Chicory

Cichorium intybus

Introduced

🌼 Blooms: June–October

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile EUCA5.
iNaturalist, Eupatorium capillifolium: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Eupatorium capillifolium (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Florida: Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055).
Florida: Florida Noxious Weed List (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-57.007).
North Carolina: North Carolina Protected Plant Species List (02 NCAC 48F .0301).
North Carolina: North Carolina Noxious Weed List (02 NCAC 48A .1702) (the list names any non-native Lythrum; we apply it to purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), which isn't native).
Georgia: Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed).
South Carolina: South Carolina State Plant Pest List, plants (S.C. Code Regs. 27-135; Clemson Dept. of Plant Industry).
Alabama: Alabama noxious weeds (Ala. Admin. Code r. 80-10-14-.04).
Mississippi: Mississippi Noxious Weed List (2 Miss. Code R. 1-3-01-136.01).
Delaware: Rare and Uncommon Plants of Delaware (DNREC, 2024; informational, Delaware has no state plant-protection list).
Delaware: Delaware Invasive Plant List (3 Del. Admin. Code § 806-3.0).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Eupatorium capillifolium (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Elizabeth Axley via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.