Verbesina alternifolia

Verbesina alternifolia is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is commonly known as wingstem[2] or yellow ironweed.[3] It is native to North America.[2]

Verbesina alternifolia
Wingstem in cultivation

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Verbesina
Species:
V. alternifolia
Binomial name
Verbesina alternifolia
Britton ex Kearney (L.)
Synonyms
  • Coreopsis alternifolia L.
  • Actinomeris alternifolia (L.) DC
  • Coreopsis procera Dryand. ex Aiton
  • Ridan alternifolia (L.) Britton

The name "wingstem" refers to the petioles of the leaves, which run down the stem and form raised ridges or "wings" along it.[4] The plant grows 3-8 feet tall with an unbranched stem until reaching the inflorescence at the very top.[5] Its yellow flower heads, which bloom in late summer through early fall, are 1-2 inches wide and consist of up to 10 bright yellow ray florets that are angled downward, each bearing a notch at the end, as well as a spherical cluster of tubular yellow disk florets in the center.[6]

Ecology

This plant grows in fertile, moist low-lying areas, such as near creeks and in open bottomland woods, usually not far from a body of water or woodland.[5][7] The tubular disk florets in the center of every flower head attract long-tongued bees such as bumblebees and butterflies, while being less attractive to shorter-tongued insects like wasps and flies.[5]

Verbesina alternifolia is sometimes considered weedy.[8] It thrives and competes well in both disturbed and less disturbed habitats, and often forms colonies by spreading vegetatively from rhizomes.

The seeds are attractive food for birds.[9] The foliage is not preferred food by deer and other herbivores.[5][10]

As host plant

It is a larval host to the gold moth (Basilodes pepita) and the silvery checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis).[11]

  • Close-up of Verbesina alternifolia stem showing wings
    Close-up of Verbesina alternifolia stem showing wings
  • Mature flower heads
    Mature flower heads
  • Detail of immature seed head
    Detail of immature seed head

References
  1. NatureServe (1 September 2023). "Verbesina alternifolia". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  2. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Verbesina alternifolia". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  3. "Verbesina alternifolia - Plant Finder". www.missouribotanicalgarden.org. Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  4. "Us Wildflower- Wingstem, Yellow Ironweed". uswildflowers.com.
  5. Hilty, John (2020). "Wingstem (Verbesina alternifolia)". Illinois Wildflowers. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  6. "Know Your Natives- Yellow wingstem". anps.org. Arkansas Native Plant Society. 13 November 2015.
  7. Carter, Richard; Morris, M. Wayne; Bryson, Charles T. (1990). "Some Rare or Otherwise Interesting Vascular Plants from the Delta Region of Mississippi". Castanea. 55 (1): 43.
  8. "Verbesina alternifolia". missouribotanicalgarden.org.
  9. "Verbesina alternifolia". missouribotanicalgarden.org.
  10. "Know Your Natives- Yellow wingstem". anps.org. Arkansas Native Plant Society. 13 November 2015.
  11. The Xerces Society (2016), Gardening for Butterflies: How You Can Attract and Protect Beautiful, Beneficial Insects, Timber Press.
Close-up of mature Verbesina alternifolia flower heads


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