Boneset Earl Plato

The late Dr. George Marcy while at his Abino Woods farm circa 1984 encouraged us to take the pasture walk south to the butterfly fields. He said, “There’s plenty of butterflies where there’s stands of milkweed and boneset.” “Boneset?”
It’s there in the lower pastures we found this unusual member of the sunflower family. Butterflies like this plant and feed on its flat-topped clusters of dense dull-white flowers. These plants in the Marcy meadows were over three feet tall and even taller in some places. What is so unusual about this plant? Check its scientific name - Eupatorium perfoliatum. Its name suggests that the stem appears to be growing through the leaf. Dr. Marcy was a noted orthopaedic surgeon in nearby Buffalo, N.Y. Our early doctors who worked with broken bones thought that if boneset leaves wrapped inside bandages and supported with splints would aid in setting a broken bone. No truth to this claim, however, boneset tea made from dried leaves was long used as a tonic. Our early settlers thought that it was effective in treating colds, coughs and even constipation! Look for boneset in Fort Erie.