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Grindelia squarrosa
Grindelia squarrosa (Pursh) Dunal
Curlycup Gumweed
Asteraceae (Aster Family)
Synonym(s):
USDA Symbol: GRSQ
USDA Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
Stout erect stem bears several branches with yellow daisy-like flower heads.
This tough but short-lived perennial, a common invader of overgrazed rangeland in the West, has now spread to dry waste places in the East. Because of its bitter taste it is not eaten by cattle.
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Annual , Perennial , BiennialHabit: Herb
Size Notes: Up to about 3 feet tall, often shorter.
Fruit: Fruit is a cypsela (pl. cypselae). Though technically incorrect, the fruit is often referred to as an achene.
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: YellowBloom Time: Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct
Distribution
USA: AR , AZ , CA , CO , CT , DE , IA , ID , IL , IN , KS , KY , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , MT , ND , NE , NH , NJ , NM , NV , NY , OH , OK , OR , PA , RI , SD , TN , TX , UT , VA , VT , WA , WI , WYCanada: AB , BC , MB , NL , NT , QC , SK
Native Distribution: Native in western and southwestern North America, but spreading eastward to the Mid-Atlantic states and north to Ontario and Quebec.
Native Habitat: Prairies and waste places.
Growing Conditions
Soil Moisture: DryBenefit
Use Medicinal: First Nations People used its flowers and leaves for treating bronchitis and asthma and for healing sores. The powdered flower heads were once used in cigarettes to relieve asthma. (Niering) Boiled flower heads used as wash for skin diseases, scabs and sores. Tea of plant given to kids for stomach. Tea used for kidney trouble, coughs, whooping cough, asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia and colds. (Kindscher) Pounded sappy leaves used for poison ivy rash. Gun used asthma, bronchitis and whooping cough. (Weiner)Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Value to Beneficial Insects
Special Value to Native BeesThis information was provided by the Pollinator Program at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.
Find Seed or Plants
Find seed sources for this species at the Native Seed Network.
View propagation protocol from Native Plants Network.
National Wetland Indicator Status
Region: | AGCP | AK | AW | CB | EMP | GP | HI | MW | NCNE | WMVE |
Status: | FACU | FACU | FACU | UPL | FACU | FACU | FACU |
From the National Organizations Directory
According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:Sibley Nature Center - Midland, TX
Native Seed Network - Corvallis, OR
Bibliography
Bibref 1207 - Earth Medicine, Earth Food (1990) Michael A. WeinerBibref 610 - Edible wild plants of the prairie : an ethnobotanical guide (1987) Kindscher, K.
Search More Titles in Bibliography
Web Reference
Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.Additional resources
USDA: Find Grindelia squarrosa in USDA PlantsFNA: Find Grindelia squarrosa in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Grindelia squarrosa
Metadata
Record Modified: 2022-12-27Research By: TWC Staff