Boneset typically occurs in wet soils in low woods, thickets, stream banks, meadows and prairies. Flat-topped clusters of small, fluffy, white flowers appear above the foliage in late summer to fall. Perfoliate foliage is quite distinctive. Historically, boneset was commonly included in medical herb gardens and used as a folk medicine for treatment of flus, fevers, colds and a variety of other maladies. Though some authorities claim the name boneset refers to a former use of the plant to aid the healing process for broken bones, others claim that the name is in reference to the plant's use in the treatment of an 18th century influenza called break bone fever.