Vernonia fasciculata is commonly called smooth ironweed because its leaves, stems and flower heads are distinctively glabrous. The source of the common name has been varyingly attributed to certain ironlike plant qualities including the tough stems, the rusty. Set during the great depression, ironweed is a great look at the underbelly of society. Also unlike other ironweeds, missouri ironweed has many dense white hairs on the underside of its leaves, often lending them a. I enjoyed the characters quirkiness and the loosely connected plots, but more significantly to me were the themes of redemption, forgiveness, and love. Common ironweed vernonia fasciculata seeds per packet. Selected as a more compact version of a little known wildflower species from arkansas, iron butterfly is a densely branched perennial with finely textured, almost threadlike foliage and bright violetpurple flowers capping the stems in late summer. This selection of the arkansas native comes to us from dr. Ironweed vernonia noveboracensis gardens with wings.
Rosypurple, composite, blooming in dense, fluffy disksbloom time notes. Fascicled ironweed vernonia fasciculata wildlife species description and significance fascicled ironweed is an erect perennial herb with smooth to slightly hairy stems that grow up to two metres tall and support sharply toothed stalkless leaves with conspicuous pits on the underside. In older manuals and guides, this family is called the compositae because the flowers are a composite of many flowers, often of different types. Names of ironweed in various languages of the world are also given. It produces vivid, purple clusters of blooms in late summer and fall. Buy ironweed by william kennedy from amazons fiction books store. Lady bird johnson wildflower center the university of. Vernonia fasciculata common ironweed prairie moon nursery. Ironweed herb uses, benefits, cures, side effects, nutrients. Selective weed killers include fiesta, iron x, and bayer natria lawn weed killer, all based on iron hedta.
Controlling ironweed plants has been equated with nuking a fortified bunker. In missouri, it typically occurs in low moist prairies and in swampy river bottom meadows north of the missouri river and in the western part of the state. George stade is a professor of english at columbia university and author of confessions of a ladykiller, a novel. Jack nicholson plays francis phelan, a washedup ballplayer a onetime infielder for the washington senators who deserted his family back in the 1910s when he accidentally killed his infant son by dropping him. Ironweed by william kennedy chapter 2 summary and analysis. An excellent addition to the pollinator garden, ironweed is a host plant for the american painted lady butterfly. Ironweed plant control learn how to kill ironweed in. The source of the common name has been varyingly attributed to certain iron like plant qualities including the tough stems, the rustytinged color of fading flowers and the rusty colored seeds. Provide organic compost in the spring and a layer of mulch. It received the 1984 pulitzer prize for fiction and is the third book in kennedys albany cycle. The entire provincestate is coloured, regardless of where in that provincestate it occurs.
Ironweed is the remarkable story of francis phelan, once a talented major league baseball player, husband, and father of three, who has fallen so far from grace that his home for the past twentytwo years has been the street. Vernonia lettermanii iron butterfly iron butterfly ironweed. Ironweed vernonia fasciculata prairie ironweed has vivid purple flowers on top of 48 72 inch stems. Ironweed s bitter foliage makes it undesirable to most grazing animals, so it is considered a weed in pasture plantings. Fascicled ironweed is typically found in moist to wet prairies and riparian areas. This study guide consists of approximately 49 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of ironweed. Iron weed, giant ironweed, tall ironweed, blue vervain, and indianhyssop. Wake up in the weeds outside pittsburgh, half frozen over, too cold to move, flaked out n stiffer than a chunk of old iron, and you say to yourself. Francis phelan, exballplayer, parttime gravedigger, fulltime drunk, ha. How ironweed is effective for various diseases is listed in repertory format. There isnt another minnesota native quite like it, though baldwins ironweed vernonia baldwinii, a more southern species, was collected once near brainerd in 1890.
Members of the genus have lanceshaped, toothed leaves. As a native species of north america, vernonia gigantea is one of over species of vernonia, with 18 growing in the eastern united states, and many in africa and south america urbatsch, 1991. Named for its tough stem, ironweed has excellent posture and never slouches in the garden making it an excellent high border garden plant. Set during the depression its very entrenched in the viewpoint of a catholic ireland emmigrant. Lady bird johnson wildflower center focused on protecting and preserving north americas native plants through native plant lists and image galleries, conservation, education, natural landscapes, seed collection millennium seed bank msb project, preserving and restoring native communities, spreading awareness on invasive species and gardening to attract wildlife. At least now, im looking at grass, instead of an overgrown weed field. Giant ironweed is a member of the asteraceae, the sunflower family. Vernonia altissima, chrysocoma gigantea, vernonia noveboracensis french names. Correspondence with all herbaria involved in the contribution of data for this book have no record of this specimen. Ironweed vernonia altissima ironweed is also known as tall ironweed. It is included in the western canon of the critic harold bloom. Vernonia noveboracensis new york ironweed from north creek. Ironweed, any of about 500 species of perennial plants constituting the genus vernonia of the family asteraceae. Vernonia lettermannii iron butterfly ironweed from north.
Uses, benefits, cures, side effects, nutrients in ironweed. Vernonia missurica missouri ironweed prairie moon nursery. This is a herbaceous plant, it is a perennial which can reach a height of 3 meters 10 feet. It has lovely fine foliage like amsonia hubrichtii and is a compact, wellbranched and vigorous plant. Francis, you dont ever want to put in another night, another mornin, like this one was. Francis phelan, haunted by ghosts from his past, returns home after twentytwo. As i expected, the movie paled in comparison to the book, despite the screenplay being written by kennedy himself. It was reported to be present in blaine county, montana by the atlas of the flora of the great plains the great plains flora association 1977 publication. Tall ironweed vernonia gigantea ontario wildflowers. This stately plant offers a large cluster of unusually brilliant purple flowers on top of 6 tall, unbranched stems. Kennedy was the latest selection for a book club ive recently joined. In limited space, cut the stems by half in early summer to control height. Ironweed, as you may have figured out, was the 1984 winner.
In it, kennedy tells the story of a bum who was once a well liked ballplayer and family man but lost i made a decision a few weeks ago that i would read all the pulitzer prize winners for fiction, beginning in the year i was born 1984 and continuing through the present. It is easily grown from ironweed seeds, provides a great bloom for the back of the flower border, and has attractive foliage until frost. The viking press finally agreed to publish ironweed in 1983 along with kennedys two previous novels, which are, like ironweed, set in albany, new. It tolerates a wide range of soils, but prefers a rich moist slightly acidic soil and full sun to light shade. In late summer it is covered with true purple flowers that attract plenty of. Vernonia lettermannii iron butterfly is a compact densely branched perennial wildflower. Vernonia ironweed care is not difficult once you find the best location for your plant. Ironweed takes place in albany over two days and two. Ironweed is an unusual novel which william kennedy found difficult to get published.
Sizable plant for the back of beds and rain gardens. Each lanced shaped leaf is very finely toothed and downy on the underside. Limit its spread by snipping off flower heads before the seeds develop. Ill plan on doing my touch up spraying with 2,4,d next spring. A coloured province or state means this species occurs somewhere in that provincestate. This will help prevent moisture loss and provide protection. Some say that iron based products can harm bentgrass, however.
Based on the william kennedy novel of the same name ironweed is set in the waning years of the depression. Then we can work on renovating the pasture the following late summer or early fall. Although his three previous novels had been highly praised, eleven major publishing companies rejected ironweed. Ironweed vernonia noveboracensis a native plant, ironweeds natural habitat is moist thickets, marshes and meadows, but it adapts well and is beneficial to garden landscapes. It attracts late season butterlies and monarchs and an excellent source of seeds for birds in the wildlife garden. Allan armitages trials at the university of georgia.
Ironweed is the third book of william kennedys albany series which focuses on the character francis phelan, father of the protagonist of his previous book billy phelans greatest game and referring at times to events in the first book of this series, legs. At first the shape simply seems to be some old debris, blown up against the side of a building, but then the shape stirs and we see that it is a man. Still, ironweed is a separate novel and need not be read in connection with its predecessors, although such knowledge does enhance the book. You can do some damage but usually the plant will find its way back. William kennedy won the pulitzer prize for ironweed then adapted this screenplay. May 29, 2008 at least now, im looking at grass, instead of an overgrown weed field. Vernonia lettermanii iron butterfly iron butterfly. It is native from ohio to north dakota south to missouri, oklahoma and texas. The flowers of ironweed are like crimson torches in the late summer prairie. January 23, 1983, sunday, late city final edition section 7. The flowers of ironweed are a rare color in the late summer landscape, and the brilliant purplecrimson bloom is very attractive to butterflies. Selective weed killers include fiesta, ironx, and bayer natria lawn weed killer, all based on iron hedta.
Common ironweed vernonia fasciculata is usually referred to simply as ironweed. Jack nicholson plays francis phelan, a washedup ballplayer a onetime infielder for the. It won the pulitzer in 1984 beating out cathedral by raymond carver and the feud by thomas berger, neither of which i have read yet. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. Jack nicholson and meryl streep are homeless residents of albany in 1936. Lanceshaped to ovalshaped, with irregularly serrated edges, up to 10 in. The premise of the club is to read a novel and then view the movie at the group meeting that was based on the novel. After a pulitzer prize win and a film adaptation starring meryl streep and jack nicholson back in the 80s, kennedys novel about a haunted man. Rough, pointed, serrate, lanceshaped leaves 68 long.
Ironweed opens in a graveyard in albany, new york, as francis phelan, kennedys boxcar ulysses, returns to the city of his birth and early manhood, for the first time since abandoning his wife and. Perhaps the showiest of ironweeds, vernonia missurica s bright magenta, rayless composite flowers have over 30 disk florets other vernonia species typically have less. Here is a distinctive, newtocultivation native perennial that provides both flower color and foliar texture in the garden. Vernonia lettermannii iron butterfly ironweed from new. Large, iridescent, redviolet, flattopped flower heads on top of tall, strong stalks from midsummer to fall give a rich display of color. Some say that ironbased products can harm bentgrass, however. Ironweed is native throughout the south and midwest.
Lady bird johnson wildflower center the university of texas. Ironweed definition and meaning collins english dictionary. Ironweed is generally thought of as an undesirable plant due to its ability to rapidly propagate and spread throughout an entire garden. Small herbaceous species are distributed throughout the world, while shrubs and trees are native primarily to tropical regions. At first we cannot quite make out his face, and when we can and see that the character is played by jack nicholson, there is a shock, for even in that first moment he seems to have been enveloped by the character. No other special care is required for this lovely and hardy butterfly magnet. One of the central tragedies is francis, when hes been drinking, drops and kills his new born son.
Biology fascicled ironweed is a perennial species which flowers one to two years after germination. A few organic herbicides target only broadleaf weeds, leaving grass safe. Author william kennedy takes us into the mind and heart of a homeless vagrant and explores the situations which have. Author william kennedy takes us into the mind and heart of a homeless vagrant and explores the situations which have brought francis to this heartbreaking station in life. In manitoba it is found in roadside ditches and open to semi open riparian areas. It works well as a tall backdrop and blooms between july and september. Prairie ironweed is a personal favoritelove the color, especially combined with the yellows of native sunflowers with which it often grows. Fascicled ironweed is an erect perennial herb with smooth to slightly hairy stems that grow up to.
On a bright late summer day, the purple flowers of ironweed glow. In this third novel in kennedys depressionalbany series, the focus is on aging, bumming francis phelan, sire of smalltown gambler billy billy phelans greatest came, 1978. Named for its tough stem, ironweed has excellent posture and never slouches in the garden. Somewhat suggestive of joe pye weed, except leaves of ironweed are alternate. A few tips on how to kill ironweed, like those found in this article, should help. Part of an ensemble cast, they take us into their past through memory and hallucination while were shown the underbelly of part of american history. Flowers are visited by bees, flies, and butterflies.