This is a genus of about 15 annual flowering plants in the borage family (Boraginaceae) native to western North America and the southwestern South America. They can be found growing in degraded pastures, roadsides and in dry sandy areas. The genus is named in honour of the Hamburg head of state and patron of botany, Wilhelm Amsinck. The common name of fiddlehead comes from the shape of the flower stems, curving at the top like a fiddle. Fiddlenecks vary in size from 8 inches to 2 feet tall and prefer full sun in moist clay, loam or sandy soils and will tolerate some drought. Many have spikes of yellow flowers with orange highlights and have bristly hairs on stems and leaves, causing skin irritation. They can also be poisonous to grazing animals. The individual species can be difficult to tell apart as their habitats overlap and they tend to hybridize with each other. These plants are generally not used in the home garden but could be used in a naturalized area. They have been used in land restoration to help crowd out invasives. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems..
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.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
High
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect
Texture
Coarse
Leaf color
Gray/Silver; Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate; Rosulate
Leaf shape
Oblanceolate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Prickly
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, 3-6 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Mature plants have a basal rosette of leaves on short stems while the stem leaves are clasping with no stems. Most are covered with short hairs or bristles. Leaves can be up to 8 inches long
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Orange
Flower value
Long Bloom Season
Flower form
Cyme
Flower shape
Trumpet
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Individual flowers have five fused petals of dark golden yellow to orange, trumpet-shaped flowers in spike-like cymes that are curled at the tips. They are 2 to 15 inches long with leafy bracts at the base. Flowers bloom all spring into the summer.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Gray/Silver
Fruit type
Nut
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Consists of a bristly husk or burr surrounding an egg-shaped group of 4 nutlets containing a single seed.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Erect green stem may be branched or not. Often cover with short hairs or bristles.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Western North America, South America
Wildlife value
Bees and butterflies are atacted to the flowers
Attracts
Butterflies; Moths
Food & Medicine
Fruit type
Nut
Uses (ethnobotany)
Stems, seeds and leaves were used as food source by Native Americans.
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Naturalized Area
Garden tags
#problem for horses #summer annual #annual #prickles #spring f #yellow flowers #summer flowers #contact dermatitis #bee friendly #problem for cattle #weedy
Problems & Resistance
Problems
Contact Dermatitis; Problem for Horses; Weedy
Propagation
Seed
Poison severity
Low
Poison parts
Leaves; Seeds; Stems
Poison symptoms
Contact with the plant's sharp hairs can cause dermatitis. The seeds and leaves of fiddlenecks are poisonous to livestock and horses and possibly unsafe for human use.