Field Guide

Wildflowers, Grasses and Other Nonwoody Plants

Showing 81 - 90 of 112 results
Photo of several grayhead prairie coneflowers with sky in background
Gray-Headed Coneflower
Ratibida pinnata
The “disk” of gray-headed coneflower is an inch-long, round knob. It starts off gray, but as the disk florets open and bloom, it turns brown. It grows almost statewide in prairies, glades, pastures, fencerows, and roadsides.
Photo of spiked lobelia flower stalk.
Spiked Lobelia
Lobelia spicata
A single-stalked perennial with white or pale blue flowers all along the top portion of the stem, spiked lobelia is most common in sunny or grassy habitats like prairies, old fields, forest openings, and glades.
Photo of starry rosinweed flowerheads on a black background
Starry Rosinweed
Silphium asteriscus
Starry rosinweed is a relatively short rosinweed that grows scattered mostly in the southern half of Missouri. It blooms May through September.
Photo of Culver's root plant with flowers
Culver’s Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Culver’s root is a tall, graceful perennial with flower clusters that look like candelabras. The white flowers are packed together in slender, brushlike spikes. The leaves are in whorls, well-spaced along the stalk.
Photo of many blooming ashy sunflower plants, showing gray-green leaves.
Sunflowers
Helianthus spp.
Most people recognize sunflowers when they see them, with their bright yellow ray flowers and rather flattened center of dark disk flowers. There are 16 species of Helianthus in Missouri.
Closeup of single flowerhead of a New World aster with yellow disk florets and lavender ray florets
New World Asters (American Asters)
Symphyotrichum spp. (formerly Aster spp.)
Missouri has 24 species of New World asters in genus Symphyotrichum. Most have purple or white ray flowers and yellow disk flowers that turn reddish over time. Most bloom in late summer and fall.
Missouri ironweed cluster of blooming flowerheads
Missouri Ironweed
Vernonia missurica
Missouri ironweed is one of Missouri’s five species of ironweeds. Most common in the eastern half of the state, it is a hairy ironweed with a relatively large number of florets per flowerhead.
Common ragweed leaves
Common Ragweed
Ambrosia artemisiifolia
Common ragweed is instantly recognizable by its ornate, 2–3 times pinnately lobed, hairy leaves. You’ve probably seen it many times and wondered what it was.
Giant ironweed flower cluster
Ironweeds
Vernonia spp.
Five species of ironweeds live in Missouri. Starting in the middle of summer, they bear showy clusters of magenta or purple flowerheads at the branching tops of upright stalks.
Curlytop ironweed flower cluster viewed from the side
Curlytop Ironweed (Arkansas Ironweed)
Vernonia arkansana
Curlytop ironweed is one of Missouri’s five species of ironweeds. It’s easy to identify because of its tapering, curling, threadlike involucral bracts. Also, it is usually a smooth, hairless plant.
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About Wildflowers, Grasses and Other Nonwoody Plants in Missouri

A very simple way of thinking about the green world is to divide the vascular plants into two groups: woody and nonwoody (or herbaceous). But this is an artificial division; many plant families include some species that are woody and some that are not. The diversity of nonwoody vascular plants is staggering! Think of all the ferns, grasses, sedges, lilies, peas, sunflowers, nightshades, milkweeds, mustards, mints, and mallows — weeds and wildflowers — and many more!