This plant is a host plant for the American Lady butterflies. It is in the Asteraceae family of plants. It was very important to many Native American tribes, who used it for herbal medicinal purposes and also in tribal ceremonies. The early European settlers in the U.S. learned of its herbal medicinal uses and also came to use its fragrant properties to keep their houses smelling good and used it also for certain herbal medicinal purposes. In modern times it seemed it lost favor as people lost touch with the old ways and weren't much interested in the plant lore their elders knew about. There seems to be some conflict over whether it is an annual or perennial or biennial, but I believe it is an annual or biennial depending on the climate in which it's grown.

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