Description ³

Family:
Asteraceae (Aster)

Height:
3 to 6 feet

Leaves:
Leaves are long (up to 6”) and sharply toothed with tiny pits on the underside. Leaves are stalkless and attached to reddish-purple stems.

Flower:
Flat-topped cluster (up to 5” wide) of deep purple to fuchsia flowers.

Bloom time:
July-September

Nicknames:
Prairie Ironweed, Western Ironweed, Smooth Ironweed, Bunched Ironweed

Habitat:
Ironweed does best in full sun in moist soils. It can grow on relatively heavy, silty, or clay soils, and can tolerate seasonal flooding. It is typically found in low prairies, ditches, marshes, and along shorelines.

Wildlife Benefits:
Flowers attractive to long-tongued bees, butterflies, and skippers.

Can I plant this in my garden?
Grows best given full sun and moist, rich soils. Will tolerate periodic flooding. Resistant to pests and diseases.

References:
https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/prairie-ironweed
https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/sm_ironweedx.htm

Range ³

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District, all rights reserved, uploaded by Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District
2. (c) Joshua Mayer, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/wackybadger/9398026042/
3. (c) Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

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

iNaturalistAU Map