Bear's foot

Smallanthus uvedalia (formerly Polymnia uvedalia), known as bear's foot or yellow leafcup, is a coarse, robust perennial herb of the Asteraceae native to moist woodlands, stream banks, and clearings of the eastern and southeastern United States. Plants reach 1 to 3 m in height, with stout, often purplish, branched stems arising from a thick taproot. The opposite leaves are very large—up to 30 cm long—broadly ovate with deeply palmately three- to five-lobed blades and toothed margins, the lower leaves long-petioled and the upper sessile and clasping. Yellow flower heads about 3 to 5 cm across are borne in loose terminal cymes, each with eight to thirteen ray florets and a brownish disk; the involucre has two whorls of bracts. The fruit is a short, thick, blackish achene without a pappus. It flowers in midsummer to early autumn.