Native plants provide beauty as well as food and shelter for wildlife. Native species are adapted to the Illinois climate. They require little or no watering and are resistant to drought, insects and most diseases. Because they are perennials, you can welcome their presence year after year.
wild quinine (Parthenium integrifolium)
Photos © Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Wild quinine, also known as American feverfew, grows in dry woods and prairies throughout Illinois. It blooms from June through September. The flowers are white, very small and produced in clusters at the stem tip. The flower clusters look something like heads of cauliflower. This plant grows two to three feet in height. Its common name “feverfew” was given to the plant because early settlers used a tea made from its leaves to treat fever.
Classification and taxonomy are based on Mohlenbrock, Robert H. 2014. Vascular flora of Illinois: A field guide. Fourth edition. Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale. 536 pp.
