• Photo of Vernonia glauca (Vernonia glaucas)

Plant Profile: Vernonia glauca

Taxonomy: Vernonia glauca

Names

Appalachian Ironweed, Broadleaf Ironweed, Tawny Ironweed, Upland Ironweed

  • Photo of Vernonia glauca (Vernonia glaucas)

Phonetic Spelling:ver-NON-ee-uh GLAW-kuh

Genus:Vernonia

Species:glauca

Family:Asteraceae

Appalachian Ironweed, a native wildflower belonging to the daisy family, typically thrives along stream banks and in low-lying, lush wooded areas. Many references suggest that this plant is considered rare. The name "Ironweed" is thought to derive from its sturdy, resilient stems and the rust-like hue of its withered flowers. Pruning the plant in the spring encourages the development of more flowering stems. While it is generally resistant to pests, it does attract deer.

Vernonia glauca Feature Summary

Vernonia glauca Image Gallery

Tags

#deciduous
#drought tolerant
#native perennial
#dried flowers
#stream banks
#NC native
#deer browsing plant
#self-seeding
#native wildflower
#rare
#food source fall
#food source nectar
#food source pollen
#compact habit
#native
#food source hard mast fruit
#audubon
#colonizing
#compact

Similar Plants

Vernonia glauca Feature Summary

Attributes
AL, DC, DE, GA, MD, MS, NC, NJ, PA, SC, TN, VA, WV
Pollinated by insects. Attracts butterfly, bees, birds, and hummingbirds.
Perennial
Attracts Pollinators
Buffer
Screening
Attractive Flowers
Fruit
Displays from August to October
Flowers
Large terminal clusters of strap-shaped, fluffy flowers.
Purple/Lavender
Good Cut
Showy
Long Bloom Season
more than 20 petals/rays
Irregular
< 1 inch
Leaves
Deep green leaves with gray-green underside. The underside is whitish and has hairs. Contains stem leaves but no basal leaves. Its leaves are large, up to 8" long and 3" wide.
Green
Gray/Silver
Elliptical
Lanceolate
> 6 inches
1-3 inches
Whole Plant Traits
Perennial
Native Plant
Wildflower
Herb
Erect
Clumping
Medium
Cultural Conditions
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Acid (<6.0)
Alkaline (>8.0)
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Good Drainage
Moist
Occasionally Dry
3 feet-6 feet
12 inches-3 feet
Coastal
Mountains
Piedmont
4a
4b
5b
5a
6a
6b
7a
7b
8b
8a
3a
3b
Clay
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Landscape
Cutting Garden
Rock Garden
Butterfly Garden
Pollinator Garden
Rain Garden
Cottage Garden
Border
Hedge
Mass Planting
Screen/Privacy
Specimen
Barrier
Drought
Insect Pests
Patio
Walkways
Woodland
Meadow
Naturalized Area
Slope/Bank
Butterflies
Pollinators
Songbirds
Hummingbirds

Vernonia glauca Attributes

Vernonia glauca: Country Or Region Of Origin

United States

Vernonia glauca: Distribution

AL, DC, DE, GA, MD, MS, NC, NJ, PA, SC, TN, VA, WV

Vernonia glauca: Wildlife Value

Pollinated by insects. Attracts butterfly, bees, birds, and hummingbirds.

Vernonia glauca: Life Cycle

Annual
Biennial
Bulb
Perennial
Woody

Vernonia glauca: Recommended Propagation Strategy

Division
Grafting
Layering
Leaf Cutting
Root Cutting
Seed
Stem Cutting

Vernonia glauca: Play Value

Attractive Flowers
Attracts Pollinators
Buffer
Colorful
Defines Paths
Easy to Grow
Edible fruit
Fragrance
Pieces Used in Games
Screening
Shade
Sound
Textural
Wildlife Cover/Habitat
Wildlife Food Source
Wildlife Larval Host
Wildlife Nesting
Wind Break
Wind Shimmer

Vernonia glauca Fruit

Vernonia glauca: Fruit Description

Displays from August to October

Vernonia glauca: Display/Harvest Time

Fall
Spring
Summer
Winter

Vernonia glauca Flowers

Vernonia glauca: Flower Description

Large terminal clusters of strap-shaped, fluffy flowers.

Vernonia glauca: Flower Color

filter_vintage
Purple/Lavender

Vernonia glauca: Flower Inflorescence

Catkin
Corymb
Cyme
Head
Insignificant
Panicle
Raceme
Solitary
Spadix
Spike
Umbel

Vernonia glauca: Flower Value To Gardener

Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long Bloom Season
Long-lasting
Showy

Vernonia glauca: Flower Bloom Time

Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall

Vernonia glauca: Flower Petals

2-3 rays/petals
4-5 petals/rays
6 petals/rays
7 - 20 petals/rays
asymmetrical petals
Bracts
Colored Sepals
fused petals
more than 20 petals/rays
Tepals

Vernonia glauca: Flower Shape

Bell
Cross
Crown
Cup
Dome
Funnel
Irregular
Lipped
Radial
Saucer
Star
Trumpet
Tubular
Urn
Wheel

Vernonia glauca: Flower Size

1-3 inches
3-6 inches
< 1 inch
> 6 inches

Vernonia glauca Leaves

Vernonia glauca: Leaf Description

Deep green leaves with gray-green underside. The underside is whitish and has hairs. Contains stem leaves but no basal leaves. Its leaves are large, up to 8" long and 3" wide.

Vernonia glauca: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics

Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen

Vernonia glauca: Leaf Color

spa
Gray/Silver
spa
Green

Vernonia glauca: Leaf Type

Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Fronds
Needles
Sheath
Simple

Vernonia glauca: Leaf Arrangement

Alternate
Opposite
Other/more complex
Rosulate
Whorled

Vernonia glauca: Leaf Shape

Acicular
Auriculate
Cordate
Cuneate
Deltoid
Elliptical
Filiform
Lanceolate
Linear
Oblanceolate
Oblong
Obovate
Obtuse
Orbicular
Ovate
Palmasect
Palmatifid
Peltate
Pinnatifid
Pinnatisect
Reniform
Rhomboidal
Spatulate
Subcordate
Subulate

Vernonia glauca: Leaf Margin

Crenate
Crenulate
Dentate
Denticulate
Doubly Crenate
Doubly Dentate
Doubly Serrate
Entire
Lobed
Serrate
Sinuate
Undulate

Vernonia glauca: Hairs Present

No
Yes

Vernonia glauca: Leaf Length

< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches

Vernonia glauca: Leaf Value To Gardener

Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long-lasting
Showy

Vernonia glauca: Leaf Width

< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches

Vernonia glauca Whole Plant Traits

Vernonia glauca: Plant Type

Annual
Bulb
Carnivorous
Edible
Epiphyte
Fern
Ground Cover
Herb
Herbaceous Perennial
Houseplant
Mushroom
Native Plant
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Perennial
Poisonous
Rose
Shrub
Succulent
Tree
Turfgrass
Vegetable
Vine
Water Plant
Weed
Wildflower

Vernonia glauca: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics

Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen

Vernonia glauca: Habit/Form

Arching
Ascending
Broad
Cascading
Climbing
Clumping
Columnar
Conical
Creeping
Dense
Erect
Horizontal
Irregular
Mounding
Multi-stemmed
Multi-trunked
Open
Oval
Prostrate
Pyramidal
Rounded
Spreading
Vase
Weeping

Vernonia glauca: Growth Rate

Slow
Medium
Rapid

Vernonia glauca: Maintenance

Low
Medium
High

Vernonia glauca: Texture

Fine
Medium
Coarse

Vernonia glauca Cultural Conditions

Vernonia glauca: Light

Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)

Vernonia glauca: Soil pH

Acid (<6.0)
Alkaline (>8.0)
Neutral (6.0-8.0)

Vernonia glauca: Soil Drainage

Frequent Standing Water
Good Drainage
Moist
Occasional Flooding
Occasionally Dry
Occasionally Wet
Very Dry

Vernonia glauca: Available Space To Plant

12 inches-3 feet
12-24 feet
24-60 feet
3 feet-6 feet
6-feet-12 feet
Less than 12 inches
more than 60 feet

Vernonia glauca: NC Region

Coastal
Mountains
Piedmont

Vernonia glauca: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone

thermostat
3a
thermostat
3b
thermostat
4a
thermostat
4b
thermostat
5a
thermostat
5b
thermostat
6a
thermostat
6b
thermostat
7a
thermostat
7b
thermostat
8a
thermostat
8b

Vernonia glauca: Soil Texture

Clay
High Organic Matter
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Shallow Rocky

Vernonia glauca Stem

Vernonia glauca: Stem Is Aromatic

No
Yes

Vernonia glauca Landscape

Vernonia glauca: Landscape Theme

Asian Garden
Butterfly Garden
Children's Garden
Cottage Garden
Cutting Garden
Drought Tolerant Garden
Edible Garden
English Garden
Fairy Garden
Garden for the Blind
Native Garden
Nighttime Garden
Pollinator Garden
Rain Garden
Rock Garden
Shade Garden
Water Garden
Winter Garden

Vernonia glauca: Design Feature

Accent
Barrier
Border
Flowering Tree
Foundation Planting
Hedge
Mass Planting
Screen/Privacy
Security
Shade Tree
Small groups
Small Tree
Specimen
Street Tree
Understory Tree

Vernonia glauca: Resistance To Challenges

Black Walnut
Compaction
Deer
Diseases
Drought
Dry Soil
Erosion
Fire
Foot Traffic
Heat
Heavy Shade
Humidity
Insect Pests
Pollution
Poor Soil
Rabbits
Salt
Slugs
Squirrels
Storm damage
Urban Conditions
Voles
Wet Soil
Wind

Vernonia glauca: Landscape Location

Coastal
Container
Hanging Baskets
Houseplants
Lawn
Meadow
Naturalized Area
Near Septic
Patio
Pond
Pool/Hardscape
Recreational Play Area
Riparian
Rock Wall
Slope/Bank
Small Space
Vertical Spaces
Walkways
Woodland

Vernonia glauca: Attracts

Bats
Bees
Butterflies
Frogs
Hummingbirds
Moths
Pollinators
Predatory Insects
Reptiles
Small Mammals
Songbirds
Specialized Bees