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Native Plant Society of Texas

Frostweed

Verbesina virginica

Other common name(s):

White Crownbeard, Iceplant, Iceweed, Virginia Crownbeard, Indian Tobacco, Richweed, Squawweed

Family:

Asteraceae (Aster Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Leaflet Tiles © Esri — Esri, DeLorme, NAVTEQ, TomTom, Intermap, iPC, USGS, FAO, NPS, NRCAN, GeoBase, Kadaster NL, Ordnance Survey, Esri Japan, METI, Esri China (Hong Kong), and the GIS User Community
East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, Northern Post Oak Savanna, Northern Prairie Outliers, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Llano Uplift
Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Southern Tertiary Uplands, Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Herbaceous

Height

3
to
6
ft.

Spread

1
to
2
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Loam, Calcareous, Well Drained, Moist, Dry

Light Requirement

Part Shade, Shade

Water Requirement

Low, Medium

Native Habitat

Woodland, Wetland or Riparian

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

White

Bloom Season

Fall

Seasonal Interest

Nectar, Pollen

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Bees

Maintenance

Very drought tolerant. Best suited for naturalizing rather than formal landscapes. Give space since it spreads easily and forms colonies. Thin to control where not wanted. Good as understory in landscape restorations within its range. Early in morning of first hard freeze, stems split open to expose long curls of ice. Propagation: root division, seed.

Comments

Blooms July-December. Tall, erect form. Each stem has soft, fleshy green flanges running longitudinally down its length. Large, lance-shaped leaves, with rough surface and toothed margins. Small white flowers are clustered in flat-topped heads at the end of stems. The fruit is a cypsela: a dry, one-seeded fruit, usually topped by pappus. High deer resistance. Flowers provide nectar for bees and butterflies.

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) Miller, George O., Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas 2nd Ed., 2013, pg 52. 3) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=VEVI3. 4) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Verbesina+virginica&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 5) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=4736&locationType=County&mapType=Normal, 6) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=38613#null, 7) Native and Adapted Landscape Plants, City of Austin and Texas A&M, 2014, 8) https://seedsource.com/frostweed/
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