United States Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service		 Texas Go to Accessibility Information
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Frostweed

Scientific Name: Verbesina microptera DC.
Common Name: Frostweed, Capitana, or Texas crownbeard

Morphological Characteristics:

Habit- native perennial herb that grows from knotty crowns with fibrous roots; erect stems 5-20 dm tall ; flowers summer to fall; reproduces by seed
Leaves- simple, alternate, hirsute, stems usually with 6 wings
Flowers- white to greenish-white
Fruit- a winged achene

Habitat and Range: this species is found in South Texas and Northeastern Mexico; common on various soils in brush and open sites

Conservation Use:

Why collect this plant? Texas Plant Materials Centers have identified this plant as having potential benefits to the following conservation practice standards: 390 Riparian Herbaceous Cover, 562
Recreation Area Improvement, and 645 Upland Wildlife Habitat. Your assistance in collecting this plant helps support the NRCS conservation practice standards which are employed daily to conserve the natural resources of Texas!

Centers Requesting Seed:

E. Kika de la Garza PMC

How to Collect Seed

  1. Identify native plant stands in your area. You can go to the following websites for helpful photos http://plants.usda.gov or http://www.noble.org/imagegallery/index.html or www.wildflower.org
  2. Determine if seed is mature. Mature seed is typically dry and will easily separate from the seed head.
  3. Hand strip mature seed by grasping the bottom of the seed head then gently pulling away from the base of the plant. Deposit seed in a brown paper sack. Collect seed from a minimum of 30 to 50 plants.
  4. Label each collection as it is made so collections do not get mixed up. Information required includes: Collector’s name, number of plants collected, location (parish, city, highway, GPS coordinates), site description (soil type, slope, plants growing in association).
  5. Complete NRCS-ECS-580; Plant Collection Information Form and mail with collected seeds to the NRCS Plant Materials Center requesting the species.

E. Kika de la Garza Plant Materials Center
3409 N FM 1355
Kingsville, TX 78363

Helpful Tips

Look for superior plants that display differences in color, height, or forage abundance and record observations. Differences in growing site or location should be made into separate collections if they are separated by more than 1 mile between sites.  It is easier to locate plants while in bloom, but seed can not be collected till dry and brown in color. Look for plants beginning to lose their seed as a sign of maturity.

Other Photos:

Frostweed

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NRCS Species for 2008 Plant Collections - Frostweed (PDF; 1.60 MB)