Verbesina alternifolia (Wingstem)

Verbesina alternifolia (L.) Britton ex Kearney

Actinomeris alternifolia (L.) DC.

Ridan alternifolia (L.) Britton

Wingstem, yellow ironweed

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Asterales	Flowering plants with a central disk flower and surrounding petals, like daisies
Family	Asteraceae	The aster family, which also includes daisies and sunflowers; from the Greek ἀστήρ, “star,” for the star-shaped flowers
Genus	Verbesina	Resembling the leaves of verbenas
Species	alternifolia	Alternate leaved

About plant names...

Wingstem, a member of the sprawling aster family, is a North American native plant.

Identification: Plants are 3-10' (91-304 cm) in height, hairy, with a four-winged stem. Leaves are alternate, narrowly elliptic, narrowly oval, or oval. They are 4-10" (10-25 cm) in length, rough-textured, sessile or with a short petiole, and usually toothed. Composite flowers are 1-2" (2.5-5 cm) in diameter, composed of a dome- or ball-shaped central disk ⅜-½" (9.5-12 mm) around, and 2-10 ray flowers. Both the central disk and the ray flowers are yellow; sometimes the ray flowers are not present. They bloom from August to October.

Online References:

Verbesina alternifolia at Illinois Wildflowers

Verbesina alternifolia on Missouriplants.com

Verbesina alternifolia on Wildflowers of the United States

Verbesina alternifolia on the Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide

Verbesina alternifolia on Discover Life

References:

Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 164

9/1/2013 · Trail Near James River, Midlothian, Virginia
≈ 7 × 4½" (16 × 11 cm)

9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts
≈ 7 × 6" (18 × 15 cm)

9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts
≈ 17 × 12" (44 × 29 cm)

9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts
≈ 10 × 8" (26 × 20 cm)

9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts
≈ 9 × 9" (23 × 23 cm)

Verbesina alternifolia description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

8/31/2013 · Riverside Park, James River, Midlothian, Virginia
≈ 12 × 8" (31 × 21 cm)

9/1/2013 · Trail Near James River, Midlothian, Virginia
≈ 6 × 9" (15 × 22 cm)

9/1/2013 · Trail Near James River, Midlothian, Virginia
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 15 cm)

9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts
≈ 12 × 17" (29 × 44 cm)

9/1/2013 · Trail Near James River, Midlothian, Virginia
≈ 11 × 7" (28 × 18 cm)

9/1/2013 · Trail Near James River, Midlothian, Virginia
≈ 9 × 6" (23 × 16 cm)

Range:

About this map...