This weedy native plant is popping up everywhere right now
iNaturalist Community
Native Plants
If you've spotted a tall, ragged-leaved plant with fuzzy seed heads colonizing a disturbed patch of your yard or a nearby trail edge, you're probably looking at this exact species having a banner week.
American burnweed is a native plant that loves disturbed soil, the kind you find after a fire, a construction project, or even just a freshly tilled garden bed. Right now it's one of the most-logged plants on iNaturalist, meaning tons of people across the country are noticing it and snapping photos at the same time. It's a great reminder that late summer is prime time for these opportunistic pioneer species to take over bare patches before other plants move in.
Key Findings
729 research-grade observations of Erechtites hieraciifolius were logged in a single week
The species ranks among the top trending plants on iNaturalist for the period
High observation volume suggests a widespread, synchronized fruiting or flowering pulse across its range
chevron_right Technical Summary
American burnweed, a fast-growing native wildflower, is showing up in huge numbers on iNaturalist this week, with 729 verified sightings logged by citizen scientists.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Trending: American burnweed (Erechtites hieraciifolius) — 729 observations this week
American burnweed is among the most observed plant species this week with 729 research-grade observations.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
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Erechtites hieraciifolius is a plant in the daisy family, Asteraceae. It is native to the Americas, but is found many places around the world having been introduced by human activity. such as in Hawaii, China, Europe and Southeast Asia.