| Author | (L.) Britton ex Kearney | |
| Distribution | Mountains and Piedmont; a few places on the Coastal Plain with Piedmont ecology.
NY to southern Ont. and IA, south to northwestern FL and LA. | |
| Abundance | Common in the Mountains and Piedmont; uncommon to locally infrequent at the western edge of the Coastal Plain, essentially along brownwater river floodplains. | |
| Habitat | A primarily wetland species -- brownwater river floodplains and bottomlands, openings and clearings in such forests, marshes, low meadows, wet thickets, and low places in powerline clearings. |
| Phenology | Flowering and fruiting August-September. | |
| Identification | Wingstem is easily identified by its tall stems 3-8 feet tall that are winged longitudinally by tissue from decurrent leaf bases. Leaves are numerous, alternate on the stem, lance-shape or elliptic, sharply toothed, and narrowed to a stalk. Heads are numerous in an open array, and large -- the ray florets are 1-3 cm long and bright yellow. The disks are prominent, dome-shape, and yellow. Yellow Crownbeard (V. occidentalis) is very similar but always has opposite leaves. Both of these plants grow in similar places, can essentially grow together, and seem to be thriving along the margins of sewerline clearings through alluvial forests. In some places, each can be a dominant forb, quickly invading wetland disturbances -- acting quite weedy at times. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | None
| |
| Other Common Name(s) | Yellow Ironweed | |
| State Rank | S5 | |
| Global Rank | G5 | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | FAC link |
| USACE-emp | FAC link |
