Polymnia canadensis coll. #A11NC-094

I'm willing to go out on a limb and say that you, your gardening friends, and even your favorite gardening books have never heard of polymnia. I asked several native plant experts to identify the plant I found in the Virginia mountains, and only one came up with polymnia. That's pretty amazing for a plant native from Minnesota south to Georgia. This aster relative makes a 4' tall upright clump of deeply lobed, green leaves held against a dark purple fuzzy stem. The fragrant leaves are very hairy and quite viscous...imagine the feeling of eyebrows dipped in dried maple syrup and you get the picture. The clumps are topped with 1" white aster-like flowers from spring through summer...quite a show. Although we found the plant growing in wet shade, it has really become a star when grown in at least a half day of sun.