佩兰 pei lan

Eupatorium caespitosum Migo; E. chinense Linnaeus var. tripartitum Miquel; E. fortunei var. angustilobum Y. Ling; E. stoechadosmum Hance.

Herbs, perennial, 40-100 cm tall. Rhizomes procumbent, reddish brown. Stems erect, green or reddish purple, few branched or apically synflorescence branched, sparsely puberulent, more densely on synflorescences and peduncles. Median stem leaves large, 3-sect or 3-partite; petiole 0.7-1 cm; terminal lobe large, narrowly elliptic, elliptic-lanceolate, or oblanceolate, 5-10 × 1.5-2.5 cm, apex acuminate; lateral lobes identical to terminal lobe but smaller, pinnately veined; margin coarsely toothed or irregularly finely toothed; lower stem leaves gradually smaller; radical leaves withered by anthesis. Capitula numerous in apical compound corymbs; synflorescence 3-6(-10) cm in diam. Involucre campanulate, 6-7 cm; phyllaries 2- or 3-seriate, imbricate, outer phyllaries short, ovate-lanceolate; median and inner phyllaries gradually longer, narrowly elliptic, ca. 7 mm; all phyllaries purple-red, without hairs and glands, apex obtuse; corollas white or reddish, ca. 5 mm, eglandular. Achenes black-brown, elliptic, 3-4 mm, 5-angled, glabrous and eglandular; pappus white, ca. 5 mm. Fl. and fr. Jul-Nov. 2n = 40.

Rare as a wild plant, but commonly cultivated, usually in thickets or roadside ditches; ca. 2000 m. ?Anhui, ?Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Shandong, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang [?introduced in Japan, Korea, N Thailand, Vietnam].

The whole plant of Eupatorium fortunei is fragrant like Lavandula angustifolia Miller when crushed.

The plant is used medicinally The fragrant stems and leaves are used for making fragrant oils.