Virginia Tech Dendrology

arrow-weed Asteraceae Pluchea sericea (Nutt.) Coville symbol: PLSE
Leaf: Alternate, simple, evergreen, to 2 1/2 inches, gray-green above and below and finely pubescent, linear to lancolate, entire margins.
Flower: Purple, in clusters at the ends of the twigs, blooms from spring to mid-summer.
Fruit: Tiny achenes with slender brown bristles.
Twig: Initially gray-green and slender, and pale pubescent, becoming gray-brown.
Bark: Gray to brown, initially smooth or lenticellate, becoming rough.
Form: Thicket-forming dense shrubs to 10 feet, often with straight stems.
Looks like: mule fat - sandbar willow

Additional Range Information: Pluchea sericea is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information