Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Campanulids: Asterales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Verbesina virginica var. virginica
FAMILY
Asteraceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read about "Ice Ribbons, Ice Flowers, Frost Flowers or whatever they might be called" on James Carter's web page.
Also see "Crystallofolia ('Frost Flowers')" by Bob Harms.
Learn more: "Know Your Natives - Frostweeds 'Bloom' Frost Flowers" by Arkansas Native Plant Society.
Finish off with Forrest Mims' time-lapse video capturing the formation of frost flowers.
Read more about Wingstems and Crownbeards from Linda Chafin and the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society.
Verbesina virginica's hairy stem and not sharply toothed leaves will separate it from V. alternifolia when neither is in flower. Read more at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Verbesina virginica var. virginica
FAMILY
Asteraceae
INCLUDED WITHIN Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 19-20-21 (2006)
Verbesina virginica
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 179-66-004a:
Verbesina virginica var. virginica FAMILY Asteraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Phaethusa virginica
COMMON NAME:
White Crownbeard, Common Frostweed, White Wingstem, Virginia Wingstem
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
JK Marlow jkm0407za_04
July Pickens County SC
Roadside
Heads in compact corymbs, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
JK Marlow s110705_ab
July Greenville County SC
Petioles winged, leaves coarsely serrate but not lobed or dissected, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
JK Marlow jkm090812_008
August Greenville County SC
The 3-5 ray flowers are white; disk flowers are grayish-white, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).
JK Marlow jkm090822_017
August Greenville County SC
Flower heads 20-100+ in a dense, usually flat-topped inflorescence, per Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005).
JK Marlow jkm090822_018
August Greenville County SC
Involucre of 1-2 series of lanceolate, erect, pubescent bracts, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
JK Marlow jkm120913_769
September Greenville County SC
Petioles winged, the tissue decurrent on the stem as wide wings, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
JK Marlow s050904_d
September SC
Roadside
Apex acute to acuminate, base rounded to cuneate, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
JK Marlow jkm131125_394
November Greenville County SC
One of only a few species which may extrude ribbons of ice after a hard freeze.
JK Marlow jkm131125_443
November Greenville County SC
These delicate ice formations are sometimes called "frost flowers".
JK Marlow jkm131125_445
November Greenville County SC
Other local "frost flower" producers include Cunila & some of the Crocanthemums.
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Verbesina virginica var. virginica
FAMILY
Asteraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Verbesina virginica var. virginica
FAMILY
Asteraceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 19-20-21
Verbesina virginica
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 179-66-004a:
Verbesina virginica var. virginica
FAMILY
Asteraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Phaethusa virginica
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".