Missouri Ironweed (Vernonia missurica)
Flower of Missouri Ironweed (Vernonia missurica) — KatieLMiller, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Description of Missouri Ironweed (Vernonia missurica)
Missouri Ironweed (Vernonia missurica), a member of the Asteraceae (Aster Family), is a herbaceous perennial that grows from 2′ to 6.5′ tall and blooms with magenta to purple flowers in the summer to early fall (July to September). This plant grows in places with full sun that have medium to wet soils and is hardy in zones 5-9. More information on this species can be found on this blog post.
Hosted Species
American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis)
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 prairies, wet meadows, bogs, successional areas in floodplains, roadsides, and fields.
Range of Missouri Ironweed (Vernonia missurica) in the United States and Canada
Missouri Ironweed (Vernonia missurica) is native to the mid-west and south-central United States and the province of Ontario in Canada.
Interesting Facts
The genus name, Vernonia, is in honor of William Vernon, an English botanist. The species name, missurica, is a Latinized version of the original collection location.
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