Yellow Crownbeard
Verbesina occidentalis
- Native to:
- United States
Britton, N.L., and A. Brown.
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Asteraceae
- Genus:
- Verbesina
- Species:
- Verbesina occidentalis
- USDA Symbol:
- VEOC
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Forb/herb
- Height:
- 250 cm
- Light Requirements:
- Full Sun
- Drought Tolerance:
- Medium
- Bloom Months:
- aug,sep,oct
- Bloom Colors:
- yellow
Wildlife Benefits
- Bees:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Documented bee visitation (GBIF)
- Butterflies & Moths:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Documented Lepidoptera association (GBIF)
- Caterpillars:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Recorded caterpillar host plant (HOSTS Database)
Keystone Species Ranking
- Pollen Specialist Bee Keystone:
- ★★★★★ Native pollen specialist bee species supported by this genus (NWF)
Host Plant for Caterpillars
Cremastobombycia ignota
Reported Fauna Sightings
Bees: Eastern Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa virginica), ⚠️Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) Moths:Basilodes pepita Butterflies:Atalopedes Scudder, Long-tailed Skipper (Urbanus proteus), Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos)
Garden & Ecology Notes
- Wildlife Value:
- bees, butterflies, birds
- Deer Resistant:
- Yes
- Fire Ecology:
- Fire adapted — tolerates or benefits from fire
- Fire Notes:
- Resprouts vigorously from rootstock following fire; common in fire-maintained openings.
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- rich, well-drained loamy soil
- pH:
- 5.5 - 7.0 (slightly acidic to neutral)
- Drainage:
- tolerates poor drainage
- Moisture:
- consistently moist
- Notes:
- prefers areas with periodic flooding
Propagation & Germination
- Stratification:
- Cold/moist stratification required — 30–60 days
- Germination Time:
- 14–30 days
- Notes:
- Seeds germinate readily after cold stratification; direct sowing in fall is effective.
The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI