January-February 2022 • Nebraskaland 43
Right: Maximilian's sunfl ower
seeds are tightly bunched in bract-
shrouded heads, the individual seeds
resembling miniature domestic
sunfl ower seeds. The plant grows to
6 feet tall and is common in eastern
Nebraska prairies. In late summer,
migrating monarchs fl ock to its
fl owers.
Below: Three wing-like bracts, called
valves, encase dock seeds. Narrow-
leaf dock valves have toothed edges
whereas the valves of many other
dock species have smooth edges.
Introduced to North American from
Russia, botanists fi rst collected
narrow-leaf dock in Nebraska in
1935, and it now occurs statewide in
low, moist habitats.
