Poverty Weed

Also known as Roosevelt Weed, False Willow, Newfield Willow, Jinete

Poverty Weed is a tough, drought-tolerant perennial shrub that rapidly colonizes overgrazed pastures, abandoned fields, and disturbed roadsides across the sunbaked Southwest. In late autumn, female plants transform into dense clouds of silvery-white, silky seed heads that float on the wind to establish new stands. Its dense, narrow foliage resembles true willows, but resinous leaves and composite flowers reveal its membership in the sunflower family.