WINGSTEM
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Verbesina alternifolia   (L. ) Britton ex  Kearney
Konza Prairie, Riley County, Kansas
Perennial
Height: 3 - 8 feet tall
Family: Asteraceae - Sunflower Family
Flowering Period:   August, September
Stems: Erect, leafy, usually branched above, coarsely hairy or nearly glabrous.
Leaves: Alternate, simple, short-stalked, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 4-10 inches long, 1-3 inches wide, rough; margins toothed to nearly entire; tips pointed; leafy "wings" extend downward from bases.
Inflorescences: Heads, up to 100, borne in open, terminal clusters.
Flowers: Heads 1-2 inches wide; bracts few, narrowly lanceolate, bent abruptly downward; ray florets 2-10, .5 to 1.25 inch long, yellow, drooping; disk florets numerous, spreading, yellow.
Fruits: Achenes, widely spreading, forming spherical head, flattened, winged, glabrous, tipped with 2 awn-like bristles, enclosing small seed.
Habitat: Open, moist wooded areas, thickets and stream banks, in rich soils.
Distribution: Principally the east half of Kansas.
Comments: Wingstem prefers habitats with partial shade.

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