Ridan alternifolia (L.) Britton
Verbesina alternifolia (L.) Britton ex Kearney
Wingstem, yellow ironweed, wingstem crownbeard
Wingstem, a member of the sprawling aster family, is a North American native plant.
Plants: 3–10′ (91–304 cm) in height, hairy, with a four-winged stem.
Leaves: Alternate, narrowly elliptic, narrowly oval, or oval. They are 4–10″ (10–25 cm) in length, rough-textured, sessile or with a short petiole, and usually toothed.
Flowers: Composite flowers are 1–2″ (2.5–5 cm) in diameter, composed of a dome- or ball-shaped central disk ⅜–½″ (9.5–12 mm) around, and 2-10 ray flowers. Both the central disk and the ray flowers are yellow; sometimes the ray flowers are not present. They bloom from August to October.
Fruits: Achenes are oval-shaped, flattened, and winged; each one has two short slender awns at its apex.
Habitats: Woodlands, riverbanks, bottomlands, roadsides, fields; prefers moist soils.
Online References:
References:
Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 164
Actinomeris alternifolia (L.) DC.
Ridan alternifolia (L.) Britton
Ridan alternifolia (L.) Britton
9/1/2013 · Trail Near James River, Midlothian, Virginia · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (16 × 11 cm) 
6/10/2018 · Virginia · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm) 
6/29/2023 · Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia 
9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 6″ (18 × 15 cm) 
9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 17 × 12″ (44 × 29 cm) 
6/10/2018 · Virginia · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (12 × 18 cm) 
9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 10 × 8″ (26 × 20 cm) 
9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 9″ (23 × 23 cm) 
8/31/2013 · Riverside Park, James River, Midlothian, Virginia · ≈ 10 × 8″ (26 × 21 cm) 
6/10/2018 · Virginia · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 20 cm) 
9/1/2013 · Trail Near James River, Midlothian, Virginia · ≈ 6 × 9″ (15 × 22 cm) 
9/1/2013 · Trail Near James River, Midlothian, Virginia · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 15 cm) 
9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 12 × 17″ (29 × 44 cm) 
9/1/2013 · Trail Near James River, Midlothian, Virginia · ≈ 11 × 7″ (28 × 18 cm) 
6/29/2023 · Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia 
9/1/2013 · Trail Near James River, Midlothian, Virginia · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 16 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Asterales | Flowering plants with a central disk flower and surrounding petals, like daisies |
| Family | Asteraceae | The aster family, which also includes daisies and sunflowers; from the Greek ἀστήρ, “star,” for the star-shaped flowers |
| Genus | Verbesina | Resembling the leaves of verbenas |
| Species | alternifolia | Alternate leaved |
Verbesina alternifolia description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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