Plant · GBIF taxon 3128990
American basketflower
Plectocephalus americanusAlso known as American Starthistle, Basketflower
American basketflower is a tall annual with broad fringed pink-lavender outer florets surrounding a cream-colored center. Overlapping bracts beneath each head form a distinctive woven-basket pattern, and the stems lack the rigid spines typical of many starthistles.
Prairie AnnualBasketlike BractsNative Pollinator Plant
1 / 7—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Produces energy through photosynthesis and absorbs water and mineral nutrients through an annual root system
Predators
- Seed-eating finches
- Leaf-feeding caterpillars
- White-tailed deer
ThreatsPrairie conversion, mowing before seed set, herbicide use, overgrazing, and competition from invasive grasses
HabitatsPrairies, open grassland, roadsides, fields, disturbed soil, and sunny woodland edges
Life spanAn annual plant that germinates, flowers, produces seed, and dies within one growing season
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- FamilyAsteraceae
- SpeciesPlectocephalus americanus
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Leave flower heads standing so prairie insects and seed-eating birds can use them.
Responsible observation
- Bracts: Inspect the overlapping basket-weave pattern beneath the flower head.
- Flowers: Note the broad fringed outer florets and pale central disk.
- Protect: Photograph from paths without picking flowers or trampling neighboring prairie plants.
Help improve the field guideSomething wrong?
Checking your Fauna account…Report a name, category, or profile issue for review.