Tall Ironweed (Vernonia altissima) is a tough herbaceous plant common to meadows and fields gone fallow. With long straight stems, Ironweed can grow up to 10 feet in height.Purple blossoms festoon the tops of ironweed throughout August and September and the plants die back in the winter leaving tough hard stems. For smaller butterflies, these blooms are a great nectar source. These festive flowers can be found near the Frank Lloyd Wright Gingko Jurassic Garden in the Richard T. Bowers Historic Tree Grove.
The genus Vernonia is named for 17th century English botanist William Vernon (?-1711) who did field work and collected plants in North America. The species name, 'altissima' means tall.
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