Vernonia gigantea

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Vernonia gigantea
Vernonia gigantea 25.jpg
Tall ironweed near Cincinnati, Ohio
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Vernonia
Species:
V. gigantea
Binomial name
Vernonia gigantea
(Walter) Trel.

Vernonia gigantea (also known as giant ironweed, [1] tall ironweed [2] or ironweed [3] ) is a species of perennial plant from family Asteraceae found in United States and Canada. [1] The plant is native to the eastern United States, north to New York state and Ontario, and southwest to Texas. [1]

Contents

Description

Tall Ironweed
(Vernonia gigantea) Vernonia altissima.jpg
Tall Ironweed
(Vernonia gigantea)

They are described as 0.9–2.1 metres (3–7 ft) tall, [4] or 1.5 m–3.0 m × 0.3 m–0.6 m (5 ft–10 ft × 1 ft–2 ft). [3] The stem is either green or purplish green coloured, and can be either hairy or pubescent. The leaves are up to 250 mm (10 in) long and 50 mm (2 in) across, and are ovate. Their leaves could also be lanceolate-oblong or elliptically shaped, with serrated margins. The leaves' upper surface is hairless and is dark green in colour. The leaves' bases may have a petiole or be sessile. [4] The flowers open from July to September and are purple in colour. They can be found growing in moist soils along roadsides, and are common in meadows and open woodlands. [3]

The seeds are wind-dispersed. The plant is self-incompatible and exhibits substantial ecotypic variation, a factor which may explain their broad geographic distribution. [5]

Ecology

V. gigantea is a larval host to the ironweed borer moth (Papaipema cerussata) and the red groundling moth (Perigea xanthioides). [6]

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Lomandra multiflora is a perennial, rhizomatous herb found in Australia. Lomandra multiflora is also commonly known as many-flowered mat rush, mat rush and many flowered mat-lily. Lomandra multiflora is a species that is native to Australia and can be found in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory of Australia and also in Papua New Guinea. The mat rush is distributed widely in the region and common within its preferred growing conditions. The conservation status of Lomandra multiflora is considered not to be of concern and risk.

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<i>Vernonia fasciculata</i> Species of plant

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Vernonia gigantea". USDA . PLANTS Profile. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
  2. Common names
  3. 1 2 3 "Vernonia gigantea - Ironweed". Goodness Grows. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
  4. 1 2 "Tall Ironweed". Illinois Wild Flowers. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
  5. Urbatsch, Lowell (1973). "A Study Of Ecotypes In Vernonia Gigantea Gigantea (Compositae)". Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies. p. 188. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  6. The Xerces Society (2016). Gardening for Butterflies: How You Can Attract and Protect Beautiful, Beneficial Insects. Timber Press.