Western Ironweed
Vernonia baldwinii
Sturdy ironweed crowned with flat clusters of intense red-purple flowers in high summer. A butterfly favorite that thrives in pastures and along roadsides.
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Type
- wildflower
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 3–5 ft
- Spacing
- 1–1.5 ft apart
- Light
- sun
- Soil moisture
- moist
- Soil pH
- alkaline
- Bloom
- July, August, September, October, November
- Bloom colors
- pink, purple
- Wildlife value
- songbirds, butterflies
- Landscape uses
- border, erosion control, naturalizing
- Native states
- AR, CO, IA, IL, KS, LA, MN, MO, NE, NM, OK, SD, TX
Related native plants
More Vernonia species
- Giant Ironweed (Vernonia gigantea)
- New York Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis)
- Prairie Ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata)
- Woolly Ironweed (Vernonia lindheimeri)
- Tall Ironweed (Vernonia angustifolia)
- Threadleaf Ironweed (Vernonia lettermannii)