310 



WEED FLORA OF IOWA 



Fig. 177-A. Distribution of Ironweed. 



Western Ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata Michx.). 



Description. — A bushy perennial 3-5 ft. high; leaves linear to 

 oblong-lanceolate, long, acuminate, smooth or nearly so, denticulate ; 

 heads short-peduncled, 20-30-flowered, bracts of the involucre ap- 

 pressed, ovate or oval, acute, ciliate, the uppermost somewhat 

 mucronate. 



Distribution. — Common in the Mississippi valley, especially on 

 low, alluvial grounds from Ohio to North Dakota, south to Ken- 

 tucky and Texas; frequent in all parts of Iowa. 



Extermination. — This perennial weed, though abundant in pas- 

 tures and low meadows, soon succumbs to cultivation. 



Wallaces' Farmer says concerning its destruction: "An occa- 

 sional cutting of ironweed is useless. If you are to keep it down 

 by strangulation, then you must keep at it until the weed is 

 strangled. 



"If we had some permanent pasture that was covered with iron- 

 weed, we would try sheep. There are a few weeds that sheep 

 will not eat. They will probably not make a very good living on 

 ironweed alone, although we recently saw some sheep that ap- 

 parently had nothing else to live on trimming up ironweed alone. 

 But sheep will eat almost any weed that grows out of the ground, 

 barring thistles, mullein and buffalo berry. It requires about two 

 years of sheep pasturing to get rid of ironweed. We know of no 

 other way in which it can be done so easily." 



