412 COMPOSITAE (COMPOSITE FAMILY) 
and slender branches held nearly erect, the whole 
plant finely rough-hajry. Leaves alternate, thin, 
light green, long oval, with blunt, irregular teeth, 
the lower ones narrowed to short petioles, the 
upper ones much smaller and sessile. Flowers in 
spike-like bracted racemes, similar in structure to 
the preceding species, but much smaller, the co- 
rollas less than a half-inch long and pale blue; 
capsule much inflated, containing many small 
dark brown seeds. 
Means of control 
Hand-pulling in pastures and meadows. Sur- 
face cultivation of stubbles after harvest. Im- 
provement of the soil by liming, manuring, and 
cultivation, which will enable better plants to 
smother the weed. 
TALL IRONWEED OR FLAT-TOP 
Indian Tobacco Vernonia altissima, Nutt. 
Cone inflata). (Vernonia gigantéa, Britton) 
i, 
(Vernonia mdzima, Small) 
Native. Perennial. Propagates by seeds. 
Time of bloom: July to September. 
Seed-time: September to November. 
Range: New York to Michigan and Illinois, southward to Mis- 
souri, Louisiana, and Alabama. 
Habitat: Prairies; meadows, pastures, and roadsides. 
This great weed is the despair of the prairie farmer, who sees it 
take possession of his rich soil, appropriating most of the food and 
moisture and crowding out the grasses; the plant is rejected by all 
grazing animals, even sheep. 
Stem four to ten feet tall, erect, strong and woody, branching 
near the top, springing from roots like thick, fibrous cords, forming 
a huge tassel at the base of the stalk and penetrating in all direc- 
tions. Leaves alternate, narrow lance-shaped, thin, dark green, 
pointed at both’ends, finely toothed, sessile, usually smooth on 
