Intro: Erect perennial of dryish, open and sparsely wooded habitats, such as open forests and woodlands, barrens and clearings.

Stems: Stems 1-several from a crown, simple or branched above, smooth or hairy.

Leaves: Leaves alternate, petiolate, lance-elliptic, to 10 in. long (reduced and becoming sessile upward), toothed and sometimes slightly lobed basally, with a rough-hairy surface.

Inforescence:

Flowers: Compound flowers (heads) in flat-topped, branched, terminal clusters: heads about 1/3 in. wide, consisting of 5 or 6 very short-petaled, white ray florets encircling a central disk of many tiny, white to cream, tubular florets.

Fruits:

Comments: Two varieties are recognized, with the typical variety having wider leaves (to about 3 in.) that are never lobed, and var. mabryanum having narrower leaves (to about 1 1/2 in.) that are often undulately lobed and blooming later into the fall.

Height: 1-3 ft.

plant sale text:

bloom table text:

description: Erect perennial of dryish, open and sparsely wooded habitats, such as open forests and woodlands, barrens and clearings.

stems: Stems 1-several from a crown, simple or branched above, smooth or hairy.

leaves: Leaves alternate, petiolate, lance-elliptic, to 10 in. long (reduced and becoming sessile upward), toothed and sometimes slightly lobed basally, with a rough-hairy surface.

inflorescence:

flowers: Compound flowers (heads) in flat-topped, branched, terminal clusters: heads about 1/3 in. wide, consisting of 5 or 6 very short-petaled, white ray florets encircling a central disk of many tiny, white to cream, tubular florets.

fruits:

comments: Two varieties are recognized, with the typical variety having wider leaves (to about 3 in.) that are never lobed, and var. mabryanum having narrower leaves (to about 1 1/2 in.) that are often undulately lobed and blooming later into the fall.

cultural notes:

germination code:

native range: eastern United States