Summary ³

Vernonia missurica, the Missouri ironweed, is a species of purple colored perennial plant from Asteraceae family that can be found growing in the central United States.

Comments ⁴

This is an attractive plant when in bloom, and one of the best attractors of late summer butterflies. Missouri Ironweed can be distinguished from other Vernonia spp. primarily by the number of disk florets in the compound flowers, and the profuse hairiness of the stems and lower sides of the leaves. It is probably the most common species of Ironweed in Illinois. Sometimes hybrids occur among different species of Ironweeds, making identification difficult. Return

Description ⁵

This native perennial plant is 3-6' tall and unbranched, except for the flowering stalks of the inflorescence. The central stem is stout and covered with fine white hairs. The alternate dark green leaves are up to 7" long and 2" across. They are lanceolate to narrowly ovate, and slightly serrrated along the margins. The lower sides of the leaves are covered in dense white hairs, which are longer and more prominent than other Vernonia spp. At the apex of the plant, the inflorescence is a corymb of numerous rayless composite flowers. The hairy stems of the inflorescence are usually reddish brown. Each composite flower is about ½–¾" across, and contains from 30-60 disk florets (usually closer to the lower end of the range). These florets are bright magenta and quite showy. There is no floral scent. Numerous dull green or reddish brown bracts subtend the composite flowers, which are aligned together like fish scales. The blooming period occurs from late summer to early fall, and lasts about a month. The root system is densely fibrous and rhizomatous, and will form offsets to create a small colony of plants. The ribbed, slightly hairy achenes have a small tufts of light brown hair, and are dispersed by the wind.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Erin Faulkner, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Erin Faulkner
2. (c) Mark Kluge, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Mark Kluge
3. Adapted by Amber Leung from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernonia_missurica
4. (c) John Hilty, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/29443036
5. (c) John Hilty, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/29443031

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• eFloras.org
• Flora of North America (beta)
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• SEINet Symbiota portals
• Tropicos
• USDA PLANTS database
• VASCAN by Canadensys
• World Flora Online

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