Ontario Weeds: Elecampane
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Excerpt from Publication 505, Ontario Weeds,
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Table of Contents
- Name
- Other Names
- Family
- General Description
- Stems and Roots
- Flowers and Fruit
- Habitat
- Similar Species
- Related Links
Name: Elecampane, Inula helenium
L.,
Other Names: inule aunée, aunée
Family: Composite or Aster Family (Compositae)
General Description: Perennial, reproducing
only by seed.
![]() Elecampane. A. Basal rosette showing 1 leaf. |
![]() B. Top of flowering stem. |
Stems & Roots: Stems erect, mostly
without branches, 1-2m (3-6½ft) high, coarse, finely hairy;
first leaves in a basal rosette with large broad blades as much
as 50cm (20in.) long, by 20cm (8in.) wide, ovate, usually tapering
towards both tip and base, undersurface velvety-hairy, margins finely
and regularly toothed with somewhat leafy-winged stalks; stem leaves
alternate (1 per node), similar to rosette leaves but smaller upwards
on the stem, stalkless and clasping the stem.
Flowers & Fruit: Flower heads
large, showy, coarse, 5-8cm (2-3½in.) across; ray florets
many, yellow, thin, about 2cm (4/5in.) long; disk florets many,
densely crowded, dark yellowish, forming a coarse rounded centre
in the head; involucral bracts around the base of the head broad,
stiff, light green and finely hairy. Flowers from July to August.
Habitat: Elecampane occurs in southern
Ontario in meadows, moist pastures, river valleys, and roadsides.
Similar Species: It is distinguished by
its rosette of large, ovate, finely toothed leaves with velvety-hairy
undersurfaces, and tapering towards both ends, its tall erect stem
with alternate leaves, the upper ones clasping the stem, and its
large, coarse, showy, yellow flower heads. In the rosette stage,
the large leaves of Elecampane may be confused with those of Horse-radish,
Armoracia rusticana Gaertn., but in Horse-radish the leaves
are smooth or both surfaces and the margins usually have rounded
teeth. Also the stem leaves of Horse-radish do not clasp the stem,
are narrower for their length, and may be deeply pinnately lobed.
Related Links
... on general Weed
topics
... on weed identification, order OMAFRA
Publication 505: Ontario Weeds
... on weed control, order OMAFRA
Publication 75: Guide To Weed Control
For more information:
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