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Texas ironweed

Baldwin's ironweed

Habit Plants 4–8(–10+) dm. Plants 6–10(–15) dm.
Stems

puberulent, glabrescent.

puberulent to ± tomentose.

Leaves

basal and cauline;

blades ovate-lanceolate (basal) to narrowly lanceolate (distal), 5–12+ cm × (5–)12–25+ mm, l/w = 3–5 (basal) or 8–17 (distal), abaxially glabrate (pitted, awl-shaped hairs in pits), adaxially puberulent and/or scabrellous.

mostly cauline;

blades elliptic to lance-ovate or lanceolate, 8–15(–18+) cm × 20–45(–75+) mm, l/w = 2–5, abaxially usually puberulent to tomentose or pannose (hairs ± erect, ± curled), seldom glabrate, resin-gland-dotted, adaxially scabrellous, glabrescent, not resin-gland-dotted.

Peduncles

1–35 mm.

1–25 mm.

Involucres

± obconic to hemispheric, 4.5–6 × 5–7 mm.

broadly campanulate to hemispheric, 4–6(–8+) × 4–7+ mm.

Florets

12–24+.

(15–)20–25(–35+).

Phyllaries

35–45+ in 5–6+ series, glabrescent, margins arachno-ciliolate, the outer lance-deltate, 1–32 mm, inner oblong to linear, 4–5(–6) mm, tips acute or rounded-apiculate.

45–65+ in 5–6 series, usually puberulent (often resin-gland-dotted distally), sometimes glabrescent, margins ciliolate, the outer lance-ovate, 1–2 mm, inner oblong to lanceolate, 5–8+ mm, tips rounded-apiculate to acute (sometimes recurved).

Heads

in open, paniculiform-scorpioid arrays.

in corymbiform-scorpioid arrays.

Cypselae

2–3 mm;

pappi usually whitish to stramineous (rarely purplish), outer scales or bristles 20+, 0.3–1+ mm, contrasting or intergrading with 20+, 6–7+ mm inner subulate scales or bristles.

2.5–3 mm;

pappi fuscous to purplish, outer scales 25–30, 0.2–1 mm, contrasting with 35–40+, 5–7+ mm inner bristles.

2n

= 34.

= 34.

Vernonia texana

Vernonia baldwinii

Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug. Flowering Jun–Nov.
Habitat Pinelands, scrub oak woodlands, sandy or sandy-clay soils Disturbed places, grasslands, flood plains, forest margins, prairies
Elevation 60–200 m (200–700 ft) 10–1100 m (0–3600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AR; LA; MS; OK; TX
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[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AR; CO; IA; IL; KS; KY; LA; MI; MO; NE; OK; TX
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Regarding Vernona baldwinii and V. interior, L. H. Shinners (1950) wrote, “The tips of the phyllaries vary from loosely appressed to squarrose, and from puberulent to almost completely glabrous on the inner face. The geographic distribution of the two extremes is nearly identical. I consider the two to be merely forms of one species.” I concur.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 19, p. 211. FNA vol. 19, p. 213.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Vernonieae > Vernonia Asteraceae > tribe Vernonieae > Vernonia
Sibling taxa
V. acaulis, V. angustifolia, V. arkansana, V. baldwinii, V. blodgettii, V. fasciculata, V. flaccidifolia, V. gigantea, V. glauca, V. larseniae, V. lettermannii, V. lindheimeri, V. marginata, V. missurica, V. noveboracensis, V. pulchella
V. acaulis, V. angustifolia, V. arkansana, V. blodgettii, V. fasciculata, V. flaccidifolia, V. gigantea, V. glauca, V. larseniae, V. lettermannii, V. lindheimeri, V. marginata, V. missurica, V. noveboracensis, V. pulchella, V. texana
Synonyms V. angustifolia var. texana V. baldwinii subsp. interior, V. baldwinii var. interior, V. interior
Name authority (A. Gray) Small: Fl. S.E. U.S., 1338. (1903) Torrey: Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York 2: 211. (1827)
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