Thimbleweed

Did you know

• Thimbleweed gets its name from the elongated, thimble-shaped seed head that develops after flowering — a woolly cylinder of seeds with feathery tails.
• The seed heads persist through autumn and winter, releasing seeds on the wind and providing textural interest in native garden designs.
• Native Americans used the plant in steam treatments — roots were boiled and the vapor inhaled to treat headaches and nervous conditions.
• It is a tough, drought-tolerant plant that colonizes rocky outcrops, dry forest edges, and old fields where few other species can persist.
• Unlike its showy cultivated anemone relatives from Asia, thimbleweed's flowers are small and subtle, relying on quantity rather than size to attract pollinators.

Color meanings

Uses

• native garden
• ornamental
• wildlife habitat