(Vernonia fasciculata)
Prairie Ironweed

Prairie Ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata)

Alternative Names

Smooth Ironweed, Western Ironweed, and Common Ironweed

Description of Prairie Ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata)

Prairie Ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata), a member of the Asteraceae (Aster Family), is a herbaceous perennial that grows from 2′ to 6′ tall and blooms with magenta to purple flowers in the spring and early fall (May to September).  This plant grows in places with full sun in medium to moist soil.  In a garden setting this plant can handle drier conditions and partial-sun.  More information on this species can be found on this blog post.

Hosted Species

American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis)

Some moths, such as the Parthenice Tiger Moth (Grammia parthenice) and the Red Groundling (Perigea xanthoides) (Illinois Wildflowers) feed on this plant.

Nectar Species

This species is a nectar source to other butterflies, skippers, bees, and wasps during the growing season.  Birds, such as goldfinch, like to eat the seeds in the fall.

Habitat

This ironweed grows in places with full sun having medium to moist soil.  In the wild, it grows in open areas such as moist prairies, low wet ground, fen margins, bottomland forests, pastures, and meadows.

Range of Prairie Ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata) in the United States and Canada

Prairie Ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata) is native to the mid-western United States and is adventive in New York and Massachusetts.

Interesting Facts

The genus name, Vernonia, is in honor of William Vernon, an English botanist.  The species name, fasciculata, derives from fascicle, meaning a bundle.