How to Grow and Care for Camphorweeds

Sweetscent (*Pluchea odorata*) is a herb with flowers that give off a pleasant camphor-like aroma, and the purple flower heads are commonly used as dried flowers. This plant can be found inhabiting wetlands throughout the Americas, and it is an introduced species in Hawaii where it is classed as a noxious weed.

Wingstem camphorweed earned its name from it having an odor resembling camphor. Indigenous people in South America historically used this plant as a medicine, and scientists are studying it for potential pharmacological uses. However, wingstem camphorweed is a troublesome cropland weed in parts of Asia.

Camphorweed is known to emit a very strong, camphor-like odor, hence its botanical and common names. Some sources compare this odor to the skunk. Although widespread across the United States, Pluchea camphorata is listed as an endangered species in Ohio and Maryland.

A resident of the United States' and Mexico's drier regions, arrowweed (Pluchea sericea) is a flowering shrub that can form dense, impenetrable thickets. The long, straight stems of this plant have been historically used to craft useful items such as arrows and baskets.

Indian fleabane (Pluchea indica) is an evergreen shrub with attractive pink flowers. It grows well in gardens as a hedgerow plant. This plant has been introduced in many Pacific islands where it is considered an invasive species.