1. Elephantopus carolinianus Raeusch. (Carolina elephant’s foot)
Pl. 299 a, b;
Map 1260
Plants with a
relatively stout, spreading, somewhat rhizomatous rootstock. Stems 1 or less
commonly 2 to several, 30–100 cm long, erect or ascending, sometimes from a
spreading base, unbranched or branched toward the tip, moderately hairy, but often
becoming nearly glabrous toward the tip at flowering. Leaves basal and
alternate, sessile or with a short, indistinct petiole, the basal leaves
sometimes absent at flowering, somewhat larger than the stem leaves. Stem
leaves gradually reduced toward the stem tip, the blade 2–18(–23) cm long,
elliptic-obovate to ovate or lanceolate, tapered or narrowed to a bluntly or
more commonly sharply pointed tip, usually long-tapered at the base, the
margins shallowly scalloped or toothed, rarely nearly entire, the surfaces
sparsely to moderately hairy. Inflorescences terminal panicles, the primary
heads grouped into dense, headlike clusters at the branch tips, each cluster of
3–20 heads subtended by 3 leaflike bracts, these 1–3 cm long, ovate-triangular,
more or less folded lengthwise, overlapping, with cordate bases. Heads sessile
or nearly so, with 4 florets. Involucre 6–10 mm long, cylindrical, the bracts
in 2 alternating series with the outer series about half as long as the inner
one, narrowly elliptic to narrowly lanceolate, somewhat rounded dorsally,
sparsely to moderately hairy and with minute, impressed resin glands toward the
tip, membranous toward the margins, the central portion green, sometimes
purplish-tinged toward the tip, the basal portion often pale or whitened.
Pappus of a single series of 5 flattened, narrow, awnlike scales, persistent at
fruiting, these 4–5 mm long, tapered to bristlelike tips and gradually
broadened toward the base, with minute, ascending barbs. Corollas 7–9 mm long,
reddish purple to purple or less commonly white, relatively deeply lobed, 1 of
the sinuses between the lobes deeper than the other 4. Fruits (excluding the
pappus) 3–4 mm long, narrowly oblong-obtriangular in outline, not flattened,
with 8–10 relatively narrow ribs, hairy, light brown to brown. 2n=22.
August–October.
Scattered,
mostly south of the Missouri River (Pennsylvania to Kansas south to Florida and
Texas). Bottomland forests, mesic upland forests, and banks of streams and
rivers; also pastures and roadsides.