Elephant's foot is a wildflower in the daisy family (Asteraceae) native throughout the Southeast as far as Texas. It can be found growing in its natural habitat of fairly dry woodlands and woodland borders. It may also be found in disturbed areas such as roadsides, clear-cut or burned locations. The specific epithet is Latin for "tomentose," which means densely covered in short, soft hairs. It prefers average, well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade. It has a short rhizome and grows quickly to a height of 2 feet with pink or purple flowers. The leaves, in a rosette at the base of the plants, are of various sizes, overlap each other around the stem and lie flat close to the ground. The flowering stem is generally bare except for the three large bracts under the flower heads. The flowers are attractive to pollinators, so this species would be a welcome addition to a woodland or shady pollinator garden. The plant spreads readily and may pop up where it is not wanted. Hand weeding is the best control. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Because of its aggressive tendencies and ability to self-seed easily, it is not recommended as a landscape plant. The growth habit (leaves forming just above ground level) tends to smother out other plant growth. The leaves are so close to the ground that a weed trimmer or mower is fairly useless in managing them.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Maintenance
High
Canopy layer
5 - Groundcover
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Oblanceolate; Obovate
Leaf margin
Crenate; Serrate
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, 3-6 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
The leaves are veined, typically basal lying flat on the ground, however, you may find a few alternate leaves along the stem.
Flower color
Pink; Purple/Lavender; White
Flower form
Corymb; Head; Panicle
Flower detail
Flowers are in heads, which are arranged in panicles or corymbs. Five-lobed (funnelform) disk flowers are pink or purple, rarely white surrounded by three conspicuous bracts. Bloom is from August through November.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit detail
Ribbed achene with four or five elongate pappus awns that aid in dispersal.
Stem color
Brown/Copper
Stem detail
The hairy stem has few (if any) small leaves and divides into flowering stalks.