Shrubs - Groundsel Bush
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  (December) What is the grayish-white fluffy looking weed that is growing on the ditch banks right now? A gardener friend has asked me the name and I admit that I wonder each fall what it is called.

  We get this question annually. The native shrub with the white "fluff" is Groundsel bush or Baccharis halimifolia. The white cottony fluff is actually silky hairs, much like what you see on a dandelion flower. The females are the showy ones here.

  My wife and I are wondering what kind of bush the enclosed plant is. The tallest we’ve seen must be seven feet. However, most are half that size. They bloom from mid October until frost and they are beautiful!! How do they reproduce–from seeds? There is a pine field on Highway 5, up near El Paso, where they are growing. It is worth a trip up there just to see it. I have seen them scattered on nearby roads as well. 

  We often get questions about this plant in the fall. It is the Groundsel Bush, or Baccharis halimifolia. This native plant can be found commonly in the southern half of Arkansas. It is dioecious, having male flowers on separate plants and female flowers on separate plants. The white flowered plant is the female, and the white color is actually silky hairs, much like you see on dandelion flowers. Female flowers will have many of these white bristles or hairs, while the male flowers will have few. Unless you own the property, don’t transplant these plants. If it is your property, they can be transplanted after the first frost. The seeds are attached to the base of the white silky hairs on the female plants. Try harvesting some and scattering the seeds in a well amended soil. They should germinate in the spring. Remember the leaf shape, to recognize the plant. They are fairly weedy looking until they begin their fall bloom.

  During the winter months, there is a plant growing in the fields and ditches that is very tall and green, and has what appears to be whitish flowers all over the top. This plant fascinates me. I would like to know more about it--can it be transplanted?

  The plant in question is commonly called groundsel bush, Baccharis halimifolia. This native plant can be found commonly in the southern half of Arkansas. It is dioecious, having male flowers on separate plants and female flowers on separate plants. The white flowered plant is the female, and the white color is actually silky hairs, much like you see on dandelion flowers. Female flowers will have many of these white bristles or hairs, while the male flowers will have few. Unless you own the property, don’t transplant these plants. If it is your property, they can be transplanted after the first frost.

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