Images
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Morphology
- Stem
- Erect or ascending, slender, branched, sometimes purple, mostly glabrous or sparingly pubescent at nodes.
- Leaves
- Opposite; stalk slender, .4 to 2.4 inches long, sometimes narrowly winged; blade pinnately compound or deeply cleft, appearing 3-5-foliolate, ovate-triangular in outline, 1.2 to 5 inches long, .8 to 6 inches wide; leaflet segments lanceolate to elliptic, .6 to 4.8 inches long, .2 to 1.2 inch wide; surfaces glabrous or minutely stiff-hairy; margins toothed; tip tapering to sharp point; terminal segment usually longer than lateral segments.
- Inflorescence
- Heads, solitary or 2-3 in loose, open clusters, small, bell-shaped to hemispheric, terminal or in leaf axils; stalks .4 to 3.2 inches long; disk 1/3 to 2/5 inch across; outer involucral bracts 5-10, (usually 8), leaf-like, unequal, linear-spatulate, 1.2 to 2 inches long, conspicuously fringed, loosely ascending to spreading; inner bracts 6-12, narrowly ovate to lanceolate or oblong, .2 to .4 inch long, brownish.
- Flower
- Ray florets absent or if present 1-5, golden yellow, inconspicuous; disk florets 20-150, 1/10 to 1/6 inch long, orange-yellow.
- Fruit
- Achene, narrowly wedge-shaped, 1/5 to 2/5 inch long, 1/10 to 1/6 inch wide, flat, pubescent to nearly glabrous, tipped by 2 stiff awns, 1/8 to 1/6 inch long, downwardly barbed, enclosing small seed.
Ecology
- Habitat
- Moist woods, stream and river banks, pond and lake margins, marshes, ditches, waste areas; wet soil.
- Distribution
- Throughout Kansas
- Reproduction
- By seeds
Practical Information
- Toxicity
- Accumulates nitrates in toxic amounts. Can cause skin irritation.
Quick Facts
- Plant Type
- Wildflower
- Family
- Asteraceae - Sunflower Family
- Life Span
- Annual
- Height
- 8-48 inches
- Origin
- Native
- Last Updated
- 2021-02-20
Color Groups
Yellow Wildflowers
Flowering Period
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Blooms: August, September, October