Wild Weeds – Weed of the Month

Tall Elephantsfoot

Elephantopus elatus

Look for tall elephantsfoot in Florida flatwoods, sandhills, upland mixed woodlands, ruderal areas, and wet prairies. The small flowers can be purple, pinkish, or even shades of white. Blooms appear in summer and persist through fall, attracting a variety of pollinators. Although elephantsfoot is in the Aster family, its flowers bear no ray florets like other species.

This plant gets its name from the basal rosette foliage. The leaves splayed on the ground slightly resemble the shape of an elephants foot print. Because of the abundance of hairs on much of the foliage this plant has a grayish hue all over.

Learn more about the plant characteristics here: https://www.flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-elephantopus-elatus/ 

Check out other Wild Weeds Here: http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/bakerco/tag/wild-weeds/ 

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