Search Fact Sheets Virginia Tech Dendrology

marsh-elder Asteraceae Iva frutescens L. Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet symbol: IVFR
Leaf: Tardily deciduous to nearly evergreen, opposite, thickened, lanceolate, serrate margins, with three prominent leaf veins.
Flower: Small and green, borne on 4 inch panicles, appearing in the summer.
Fruit: Purplish to dark brown achenes.
Twig: Slender, somewhat angular, initially green and becoming gray-brown, with slender leaf scars that completely encircle the twig, buds are very small and wedge-shaped.
Bark: Gray-brown and smooth.
Form: A multistemmed shrub to 8 feet.
 Looks like: eastern baccharis

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Additional Range Information: Iva frutescens is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
More Information: Fall Color
External Links: USDA Plants Database - Horticulture Information
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