 It grows in dry soil in prairies, pastures, open grounds, and woods, ranging from Iowa to Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, and Texas.The genus "Vernonia" is named for the English botanist William Vernon, and the species "baldwinii" is named for William Baldwin, the American botanist and physician who collected the plant.The common name "western ironweed" is derived from the range of the plant, the western United States, and derived from the toughness of the stem and roots of the plant.