Asteraceae
Giant ironweed
Vernonia gigantea
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Genus
- Vernonia
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Common names
By language (4)
- arz
- فيرنونيا جيجانتيا
- English
- Giant ironweed, Ironweed, Tall ironweed
- German
- Hohe Scheinaster
- Polish
- Wernonia wyniosła
Synonyms
- Cacalia gigantea (Walter) Kuntze
- Cacalia gigantea var. gigantea
- Chrysocoma gigantea Walter
- Chrysocoma gigantea (Walt.) Kuntze
- Chrysocoma praealta Desf.
- Vernonia altissima Nutt.
- Vernonia altissima var. altissima
- Vernonia altissima var. brevipappa Gleason
- Vernonia altissima var. laxa Gleason
- Vernonia altissima var. lilacina Clute
- Vernonia altissima var. taeniotricha S.F.Blake
- Vernonia gigantea subsp. ovalifolia (Torr. & A.Gray) Urbatsch
- Vernonia gigantea subsp. pubescens E.Morris
- Vernonia gigantea var. gigantea
- Vernonia gigantea var. ovalifolia (Torr. & A.Gray) D.B.Ward
- Vernonia maxima Small
- Vernonia maxima subsp. maxima
- Vernonia maxima var. maxima
- Vernonia oligantha Greene
- Vernonia ovalifolia Torr. & A.Gray
- Vernonia ovalifolia var. ovalifolia
Characteristics
- Growth habit
- Forb/herb
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- In the US and Canada
- Canada: native, Lower 48 states: native
Photos
FlowerPhoto: Nathan Aaron, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: Becky Dill, CC0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: Becky Dill, CC0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Greg Hume, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Melissa McMasters, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Andy Wilson, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Yann Kemper, CC0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Cephas, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Cephas, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Cephas, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Brian Finzel, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Cephas, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
More in Vernonia
- Vernonia amygdalinaAsteraceae
- New York ironweedVernonia noveboracensisAsteraceae
- Arkansas ironweedVernonia arkansanaAsteraceae
- Vernonia arboreaAsteraceae
- Baldwin's ironweedVernonia baldwiniiAsteraceae
- Prairie ironweedVernonia fasciculataAsteraceae
- Missouri ironweedVernonia missuricaAsteraceae
- Tall ironweedVernonia angustifoliaAsteraceae
- Vernonia cockburnianaAsteraceae
- Vernonia djalonensisAsteraceae
- Narrowleaf ironweedVernonia lettermanniiAsteraceae
- Vernonia sechellensisAsteraceae
Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.