Common Broomweed Provides Fall Color, Cover, & Seeds

Amphiachyris dracunculoides, known as the Common Broomweed, is a member of the Asteraceae family and blooms from July through November in Texas and elsewhere. Whole pastures of this plant can be found throughout the West Texas region where I live currently and its presence is a symptom of overgrazed land. The first image shows a typical member of this species surrounded by other forbs but not much grass. By competing with the grasses for sunlight, minerals, and water, they can reduce the ranching productivity of the land. Sheep, goats, and deer will consume the young plants but cattle seem to find them distasteful. The plant is toxic to man because it produces compounds that can irritate the eyes and skin. Back in the days of hand-made brooms, the dried stems of this plant were collected and tied to broom handles for sweeping.

At the USDA website you can see a map of the states where this plant occurs which is mostly in the central United States.

The second image shows the numerous flowers produced by these plants. These photographs were taken in mid-October and many of the visible flowers in this photograph have been pollinated and are beginning to drop the petals of the ray florets.

In the third image near the center, you can observe the narrow grass-like leaves that lack petioles or leaf stalks. This condition is what botanists refer to as sessile.

In the final image, there is a closeup of a compound flower of this member of the daisy family. I chose this image as a caution to fledgling botanists about identifying plants from a single image. Because of the late stages of the flowers on this plant, many are missing one or two of the petals of their ray florets. The one in the center of the image has dropped 2 of the six petals seen in the younger flower. Members of this species can have from 6-10 ray florets with their associated petals.

Stanford, Ansley, and Ransom (2006) point out that the common broomweed provides protective habitat and a food source for bobwhite and scaled quail, leading to the conclusion that this plant is somewhat beneficial despite its noxious aspects and its tendency to compete with grasses on the range.