Verbesina occidentalis
yellow crownbeard
Overview
Verbesina occidentalis is a tall herbaceous perennial in the aster family, growing 3-7 feet (0.9-2.1 m) tall on stiff, four-angled stems with narrow green wings running down their length. The opposite leaves are oval to lance-shaped, 3-8 inches (8-20 cm) long, with toothed margins and a rough surface. From late summer into fall the plant carries open, branched clusters of small yellow flower heads, each with a few sparse, irregularly spaced ray florets around a yellow center, giving the blooms a ragged look. It grows in old fields, woodland edges, roadsides, and pastures across the southeastern United States, spreading by seed and short rhizomes. The plant tolerates a wide range of soils and is considered weedy in grazed land because livestock pass it over, letting it take over overgrazed pastures. It dies back to the ground in winter and resprouts in spring. Its coarse texture and heavy seeding limit its use to naturalized and wildlife plantings rather than tidy borders, though the late flowers support pollinators when little else blooms.
Native Range
Native to the southeastern United States, from the mid-Atlantic and Ohio Valley south to the Gulf states. It grows in old fields, woodland borders, stream banks, roadsides, and pastures.Suggested Uses
Used in meadow, prairie, and wildlife plantings and along woodland edges for its late-season pollinator flowers. Its height and spreading habit suit naturalized areas rather than formal beds, and it tolerates poor, disturbed soils where other perennials struggle.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height3' - 7'
Width/Spread2' - 4'
Reaches mature size in approximately 2 years
Bloom Information
Flowers from late summer into fall, generally August through October in the Southeast. The yellow heads open in branched clusters at the stem tips over several weeks. Bloom comes late in the season, after many summer wildflowers have finished.
Detailed Descriptions
Foliage Description
greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 6-10 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight
Care & Maintenance
Care Guide
Verbesina occidentalis grows in full sun to partial shade in most soils, from clay to loam, and tolerates both moist and dry ground. It needs no special care and spreads readily by seed and rhizomes, forming colonies in open ground. It tolerates a soil pH from about 5.5 to 7.5 and grows without fertilizer. Cutting plants back before seed set limits self-sowing where spread is a concern. The stems die to the ground in winter and regrow from the crown each spring. In pastures it increases under grazing because livestock leave it untouched.Pruning
Cutting stems to the ground in late fall or winter removes the dead growth and tidies the planting. Cutting before flowering reduces height and seed set but also limits bloom. Plants regrow from the crown regardless of cutting.Pruning Schedule
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
fallwinter