Most wild plants aren’t that spectacular; whatever you find in a nursery is often an exception to the rule and a small misrepresentation of the real world. If you’re a plant collector, seeking out something a bit different that nobody else has, you tend to overlook a number of nonflashy aspects that may make a plant less desirable for a gardener. If you are a native plant collector, your discerning eye concentrates more narrowly. I guess what I’m saying is, “Hey, plant nerds, I have something neat for you to look at!” It’s crazy quinine, and I would bet my second garden you have not heard about it.

Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Botanical name: Parthenium integrifolium
Common name: Wild quinine
Origin: Native from Louisiana to Minnesota, fingering east through Tennessee and Kentucky into the Carolinas as well as Pennsylvania
Where it can rise: Hardy to -30 degrees Fahrenheit (USDA zones 4 to 8; locate your zone)
Water requirement: Medium to dry dirt
Light requirement: Full sun to 25 percent color
Mature size: 3 feet tall and 2-3 feet broad
Benefits: Very low maintenance and drought tolerant; uncommon in nursery transaction
Seasonal interest: White florets in midsummer which turn tan to winter interest, particularly when massed
When to plant: Spring to fall

Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Distinguishing attributes. From a space wild quinine isn’t that sexy, and even if you get really close, it maybe doesn’t get any sexier — but I ask you, just how many blossoms do you see like the ones here? They’re very unique. Because of this alone, wild quinine retains a place of honor in my continuing border. It doesn’t self-sow easily, and that’s why from the wild you’ll most often see it localized in high quality, untouched native plant communities. It attracts select bees, wasps and moths. Rabbits and deer hate it.

Missouri Botanical Garden

The best way to use it. As a midheight plant, it could go just about anywhere. I propose massing it to maximize the impact of its blossoms. It might also appeal to a moon garden. Wild quinine has a sizable taproot, so it’s extremely drought tolerant, handling dry clay into rocky soils with ease, but it could also flourish in a rain garden setting where water pools and then drains, and leaving the region dry for extended periods.

Planting notes. As with the majority of perennials, you can plant it any time of year, even though in summer you are going to need to maintain watering until it is established. Try it. Impress your garden buddies with your collector’s eye for unique native plants; I promise you neighborhood fame and fortune. (I mean, hey, the Lurie Garden in Chicago uses this plant, so be hip like Chicago.)

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