Family - Asteraceae

Stems - To +/-1m tall, erect, herbaceous, from fibrous roots, branching above, single from base, antrorse strigose, with vertical striations or sometimes carinate.

Stem.

Leaves - Alternate. Lowest leaves on petioles to +/-5cm long. Blades oblanceolate, to 2cm broad, mostly entire. Cauline leaves sessile, linear to linear-oblong, reduced upward, entire, scabrous, antrorse strigose.

Basal, middle, and upper leaves respectively.

Inflorescence - Loose cymose arrangement of single terminal flower heads. Flower heads to +/-1.5cm broad. Peduncles dense antrorse strigose.

Involucre - +/-7mm broad, 2-3mm tall. Phyllaries imbricate, antrorse strigose on midveins externally, 3mm long, .7mm broad, linear, often with reddish apices.

Involucre.

Ray flowers - White. Ligules 5-6mm long, 1mm broad, glabrous, obtuse at apex, 75-100 per flower head. Pappus of a few short capillary bristles.

Disk flowers - Disk to 7.5mm broad. Disk corollas 5-lobed, yellow. Corolla tube to 1.6mm long. Pappus of outer row of short scales, inner row of capillary bristles. Achenes 2-nerved.

Flowering - May - September.

Habitat - Prairies, open woods, waste ground, open fields, roadsides, railroads.

Origin - Native to U.S.

Other info. - This plant is frequent in dry, wild areas throughout the state. It is not as weedy as the more common E. annuus (L.) Pers. which is taller, has broader leaves, and has larger flower heads.

E. strigosus is popular with many flying insects and would make a decent garden subject.

Photographs taken on Taum Sauk Mountain, MO., 5-31-03.