Yellow Fe Weed Is Erbesina Alternifolia

Yellow Iron Weed is ane of the tall, native beauties nosotros convey planted our gMuskogee garden to feed flight wild fauna as well as to shelter crawling wildlife. We picked upwardly ours from a works life sale someplace - it spreads amongst please so many gardeners are happy to split upwardly theirs for your garden, too.

If yous relish learning well-nigh wildflowers, subscribe to the Arkansas newsletter, "Know Your Natives" at http://anps.org website where yous volition notice the subscription shape on the correct side.

Here's their article well-nigh Yellow Iron Weed. Click here's a link to the article itself. Sid Vogelpohl's informative article as well as spectacular photos are worth congratulations. Tip of the Trowel to Sid!

Yellow wingstem or yellowish ironweed (Verbesina alternifolia) of the aster (Asteraceae ) identify unit of measurement is constitute inwards the USA from Texas to Nebraska to Wisconsin as well as thence eastward as well as south.  

In Arkansas, the species is constitute throughout much of the state, though is less frequent inwards the Mississippi Alluvial as well as West Gulf Coastal Plains.  The genus advert mayhap alludes to a Verbena-like appearance, although the exact etymology is unknown, while the specific epithet refers to the plant’s by as well as large alternate leaves (note, though, that to a greater extent than or less plants may convey a few or primarily contrary leaves).  The mutual advert “yellow wingstem” may live confused amongst other species inwards the genus (see terminate of article for a brusk give-and-take on the other species).

Yellow wingstem is an herbaceous, erect, clump-forming but sometimes rhizhomatous perennial that reaches heights of four to 8 feet.  It occurs inwards fertile, sandy to rocky mesic soils of floodplains, woodlands, thickets, ditches as well as prairies. Its scabrous (rough-hairy) stems may live winged, partially winged or without wings. Stems are lite to medium dark-green amongst violet coloration at leafage nodes or along entire stems. Stems are branched inwards the inflorescence only.  Upon flowering, stems tin acquire less erect.

Lanceolate to narrowly ovate leaves, well-nigh 10 inches long as well as 2½ inches across, taper from mid-leaf to both an needlelike to acuminate betoken as well as a narrowly winged petiole.  Lower leaves may live contrary patch upper leaves as well as those inwards flowering branches are commonly alternate.  Leaf margins are smoothen below mid-leaf as well as slightly serrated higher upwardly mid-leaf.  The upper surface is tedious medium-green as well as scabrous patch the lower surface is lite dark-green as well as less stone oil amongst white hairs along major veins.  When stems are winged, narrow bands of leafage blade tissue extend downwards the stalk (decurrent) to the leafage direct below.  If stems are non winged, leafage blade tissue stops at the stalk (sessile leaf) or a petiole may live present.

Photo 1:  This yellowish wingstem plant, which does non convey wings, has a scabrous stalk amongst regal nodes as well as upper stem.  Also on this plant, lower leaves are opposite.

Photo 2:  This winged works life is nearly hairless.  Purple coloration betwixt dark-green wings extends along leafage rib.

In belatedly summertime to early on fall, stems convey a unloosen panicle of composite flowers on branches nigh the exceed of the plant.  H5N1 few to a half-dozen or so flower heads on scabrous peduncles occur on each branch.  Flower heads are 1 to 2 inches across, each amongst upwardly to 10 reflexed, yellowish ray florets (ligules) as well as several to xxx fertile disk florets.  Rays, rather haphazardly arranged, convey a notch at the end.  Disk florets consist of five-lobed, tubular extended yellowish corollas that convey sharply reduced dark-green bases.  Disk florets, amongst 5 stamens amongst white filaments as well as regal anthers, are tightly compressed so that they seem to live one.  Stamens initially totally enclose the pistil so that, when stamens emerge from the corolla, the pistil is non evident.  As a blossom farther matures, stamens wilt dorsum into the corolla tube, the pistil emerges from the corolla, as well as the stigma becomes bifurcated (divided).  Corolla tubes of matured flowers, amongst enclosed wilted stamens, rapidly drib off the inferior ovary to bring out developing dark-green fruits.  Each blossom caput is surrounded past times a calyx-like involucre composed of several rows of loosely arranged, elongated, acuminate phyllaries (bracts).  Flower heads, excluding the rays, convey a spherical shape.

Photo 3:  Long, widely spreading branches of the inflorescence as well as extended disk florets on spherical blossom heads are feature of the plant.

Photo 4:  Flower caput on left displays haphazard ray floret  arrangement, tubular disk florets, compressed stamens as well as forked stigmas.  Flower caput on correct (upside down) shows phyllaries of involucre as well as developing one-seeded fruit (red arrow) but afterward corolla tubes dropped off.

H5N1 unmarried indehiscent (not splitting), one-seeded fruit (achene) is produced past times each disk floret.  Achenes convey a flattened ovate shape amongst tapered ends, side wings as well as 2 brusk awns (bristles) at the tip.  Mature achenes tin live easily removed past times brushing against the awns.  Loosened achenes may live dispersed past times rigid air current or carried past times birds as well as other animals.

Photo 5:  Spherical nature of blossom caput remains equally achenes mature.  Drying achenes easily brushed off caput are at upper centre of photo.

For a garden, this works life tin live easily grown from seed.  Considering the plant’s superlative as well as its style to sway over amongst flowering, yellowish wingstem is in all probability best suited equally a background planting inwards a larger natural garden.  It does best inwards moist soils, but tin last to a greater extent than or less dry out periods.  It is a practiced nutrient root for insects as well as birds.  It is non favored past times deer.

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Five species inwards the genus Verbesina are constitute inwards Arkansas, several having mutual names that may cause confusion.  The 3 mutual species are:

1. Yellow Wingstem or Yellow Ironweed (Verbesina alternifolia) which may or may non convey wings as well as blooms inwards belatedly summer.
2. Yellow Crownbeard or Yellow Wingstem (Verbesina helianthoides) which is ever winged as well as blooms inwards early on summer.
3. Frostweed or White Crownbeard (Verbesina virginica) which is ever winged as well as has white flowers.

Two other species are rarely encountered:

1. Rayless Crownbeard or Walter’s Crownbeard (Verbesina walteri) is a rare native constitute on Rich as well as Black Fork Mountains inwards Polk County; it resembles Verbesina alternifoliabut has white blossom heads as well as lacks ray petals.
2. Cowpen Daisy or Golden Crownbeard (Verbesina encelioides) is a western species believed to live introduced to Arkansas at a few widely scattered locations; it is a yellow-flowered, short-stature annual amongst auricles on the leafage bases as well as lacking stalk wings.

Leaves of Verbesina alternifolia and Verbesina helianthoides have a similar appearance.

Photo 6:  Upper as well as lower leafage surfaces: #1 – Verbesina alternifolia, #2 – Verbesina helianthoides and #3 – Verbesina virginica.

Article as well as photographs past times ANPS fellow member Sid Vogelpohl

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