Parasol whitetop

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List

not listed

NatureServe

N4N5 - Apparently Secure to Secure
SNR - Unranked

Minnesota

not listed

Wetland Indicator Status

Great Plains

OBL - Obligate wetland

Midwest

FACW - Facultative wetland

Northcentral & Northeast

FACW - Facultative wetland

Description

Parasol whitetop is an erect, 20″ to 78″ tall, perennial forb that rises on a single stem, rarely a few stems, from a creeping rhizome. It sometimes forms colonies.

The stems are erect or ascending and have fine longitudinal lines. They are usually unbranched below the inflorescence. They are rough to the touch due to a sparse to dense covering of minute, curved hairs.

Lower leaves are absent at flowering time. Middle and upper leaves are crowded, alternate, stalkless, broadly to narrowly elliptic or lance-elliptic, 2⅜″ to 4⅓″ long, and ½″ to 1″ wide. They are not stiff. They taper gradually to the stem at the base and taper to a sharp point at the tip. The upper surface hairless or sparsely to moderately covered with short, curly hairs. The lower surface is green and hairless or sparsely covered with long, soft, shaggy hairs. The margins are untoothed, finely hairy, and rolled inward toward the upper side.

The inflorescence is a flat-topped cluster (corymb) of usually 20 to 100 flower heads at the end of the stem.

The individual flower heads are ⅔″ to 1″ wide with up to 14 white ray florets and up to 40 pale yellow disk florets.

The fruit is an achene.

Height

20″ to 78″

Flower Color

White ray florets, pale yellow disk florets

Similar Species

Hairy whitetop (Doellingeria umbellata var. pubens) lower leaf surface is gray or white due to a moderate to dense covering of fine, white, short hairs. The entire plant, including the upper leaf surfaces, is often densely covered with short, curved hairs. The flower heads are slightly smaller and have no more than 10 ray florets and 30 disk florets.

Habitat

Moist. Meadows, clearings, thickets, wood margins.

Ecology

Flowering

July to September

Pests and Diseases

Use

Distribution

Sources

3, 7, 30.

Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (accessed through the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Portal, bellatlas.umn.edu. Accessed 11/13/2026.

Midwest Herbaria Portal. 2026. https://midwestherbaria.org/portal/index.php. Accessed 11/13/2026.