Vernonia gigantea

Very similar to V. texana which also has short, straight conical projections on the lower leaf surfaces, and occasionally patches of longer curly hairs along the veins. They can be distinguished by their leaves which are lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate in V. gigantea and linear to lance-linear (sometimes mistaken for Helianthus angustifolius) in V. texana. Stem hairy and leaves have sharp teeth, each with a white tip. Leaves also hairy.

Tough and bitter, not palatable to cattle.

The genus name Vernonia is in honor of William Vernon, an English botanist of the early 1700s. The common name "ironweed" probably refers to its toughness.

Moist or wet woods, and in coastal prairie.