Povertyweed

Povertyweed, Poverty Sumpweed

Iva axillaris Pursh.

Asteraceae (Aster Family)

▲ povertyweed in flower along gravel road in South Dakota

▲ mature flowering povertyweed in Laramie, Wyoming

▲ colony of povertyweed before flowering in Limon, Colorado

▲ ▼ stem with closer view of axillary flowers and leaves

▲ ▼ mature stem with dried axillary flowers

▲ top side of leaf

▲ bottom side of leaf

Iva axillaris Pursh., Povertyweed, Sumpweed: (Bayer Code: IVAAX; US Code IVXA)

U.S. native, creeping root-producing creeping perennial that grows 8-24 inches tall, with round, gray-green to yellow-green, tan or pinkish, hairy, rough-textured stems that may be unbranched, but more often, branched from near the base; tends to form colonies from shoots from the deep creeping roots
Leaves opposite on lower stems, alternate as flowering commences, gray-green, rough-textured, with stiff hairs and many gland dots, oval-shaped, with smooth margins and round-pointed tips; leaves have short or no petioles; leaves tend to curve upward from the stem toward their tips, and margins may be twisted or curled slightly
Head inflorescences are in small clusters in the axils of the upper stem leaves, and they hang downward, like little bells
Flowering is from mid-spring to mid-autumn
Found in dry to moist soils in prairies, pastures, rangeland, right-of-ways, non-crop areas, riparian areas; tolerant of saline and alkaline soils
Can accumulate selenium in high-selenium soils, but usually avoided by grazing animals

(Updated November 28, 2022)