Yellow Ironweed is an herbaceous perennial wildflower native to North America and is found primarily in the Piedmont and mountains of NC. Its native habitat is fertile areas of moist wooded slopes and open woodlands, riverbanks, shaded lowlands, roadsides and fields. It grows up to 8 feet tall in full sun to partial shade and is considered an important plant for bees but can spread aggressively. Use this plant in naturalized areas, native plantings, woodland edge or along ponds and streams.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Wet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Dentate; Entire; Serrate
Leaf feel
Rough
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Oval to lance-shaped alternate leaves flow into wings on the stem. Up to 10 inches long and 2.5 across. Margins can be smooth, slightly serrated or sparsely dentate. The upper surface has a rough texture while the underside is paler with hairs along the veins.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Panicle
Flower shape
Radial
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
The daisy-like flower is 1-2 inches across and composed of 3-10 yellow petals that reflex backward and a pincushion-like greenish-yellow center. They occur in dome-shaped panicles. Blooms July-Oct.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit detail
Oval-shaped flat achenes are winged.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Central stem unbranched except near the top. Usually winged with long white hairs between the ridges.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
North America
Distribution
AL , AR , DC , DE , FL , GA , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MD , MI , MO , MS , NC , NE , NJ , NY , OH , OK , PA , RI , SC , TN , TX , VA , WI , WV
Wildlife value
Larval host to the gold moth, Summer Azure butterfly, and the silvery checkerspot. Bees visit the flowers.