Vernonia fasciculata ssp. fasciculata

Native

Wet to moderate moisture. Prairies, meadows, pastures, marshes.

July to September

Reddish purple

24″ to 72″

The leaves on the main part of the stem are 3″ to 7″ long. The underside of the leaves are smooth (not hairy), and have numerous tiny, translucent dots.

The bracts at the base of each flower form an involucre, a ring-like arrangement arising from a common node. The tips of each bract are pressed close to the involucre.

Western ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata ssp. corymbosa) is a much shorter plant, reaching only 12″ to 24″ in height at maturity. The leaves on the main part of the stem are shorter, 1½″ to 4″ long, and wider. In Minnesota it is found only in the western border counties and in the southwest.

Baldwin’s ironweed (Vernonia baldwinii ssp. interior) has hairs on the underside of the leaves that obscure any translucent dots. The tips of the bracts in the involucre curve backward. It has been reported only in Crow Wing and Goodhue Counties.