Minnesota Seasons - hairy false goldenaster

Overview • Description • Distribution • Taxonomy

Overview

Hairy false goldenaster is a very common and highly variable herbaceous plant. It occurs in the United States, southern Canada, and Mexico. It is most common on the Great Plains, but its range extends east to Michigan and Illinois, and west to the West Coast. It is common in Minnesota.

Hairy false goldenaster is found in dry, open, often sandy places. It blooms from July to October.

At least twenty varieties of Heterotheca villosa have been identified since it was first described as Amellus villosus in 1813. They differed mostly on the shape of the leaf blades and their angle toward the stem, and on the length, density, and type of hairs on the stems and leaves. Zero to nine varieties are recognized today, depending on the source. The remaining are now either considered synonyms or have been raised to full species status. Some botanists consider most or all of the varieties unnecessary because many occur in the same areas and habitats (sympatric). Where two or more varieties occur in close proximity, the populations intergrade completely, with the characteristics of one variety smoothly grading to that of the adjacent variety.

Description

Hairy false goldenaster rises on 1 to 50 or more stems. It has a deep taproot that allows it to survive dry periods. The stems can be 2″ to 27½″ (5 to 70 cm) long, but they are usually not more than 16″ (40 cm) long. They can be erect, curving up from the base (ascending), or lying on the ground with just the tips ascending (decumbent). They may be sparsely to densely covered with stiff hairs. The hairs may be long or short, appressed to the stem or ascending. There may be a sparse or dense covering of gland-tipped hairs, or no gland-tipped hairs.

The leaves are alternate and are not crowded. Lower leaf blades are inversely lance shaped, upper blades are usually lance shaped or inversely lance shaped to oblong. The pubescence of the leaf surfaces is as variable as that of the stems.

The inflorescence is a few to many stalked yellow flowers at the end of each stem.


Distribution
		Sources 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 24, 28, 29, 30.
3/10/2024


Taxonomy
Kingdom	Plantae (green algae and land plants)
Subkingdom	Viridiplantae (green plants)
Infrakingdom	Streptophyta (land plants and green algae)
Superdivision	Embryophyta (land plants)
Division	Tracheophyta (vascular plants)
Subdivision	Spermatophytina (seed plants)
Class	Magnoliopsida (flowering plants)
Superorder	Asteranae
Order	Asterales (sunflowers, bellflowers, fanflowers, and allies)
Family	Asteraceae (sunflowers, daisies, asters, and allies)
Subfamily	Asteroideae
Supertribe	Asterodae
Tribe	Astereae (asters and allies)
Subtribe	Chrysopsidinae
Genus	Heterotheca (false goldenasters)
Section	Phyllotheca

Subordinate Taxa
hairy false goldenaster (Heterotheca villosa var. depressa) hairy false goldenaster (Heterotheca villosa var. minor) hairy false goldenaster (Heterotheca villosa var. nana) hairy false goldenaster (Heterotheca villosa var. pedunculata) hairy false goldenaster (Heterotheca villosa var. scabra) hairy false goldenaster (Heterotheca villosa var. sierrablancensis) hairy false goldenaster (Heterotheca villosa var. villosa) leafy false goldenaster (Heterotheca villosa var. foliosa)

Synonyms
Amellus villosus Aster gracilentus Chrysopsis arida Chrysopsis asprella Chrysopsis bakeri Chrysopsis ballardii Chrysopsis butleri Chrysopsis columbiana Chrysopsis compacta Chrysopsis depressa Chrysopsis floribunda Chrysopsis foliosa Chrysopsis grandis Chrysopsis hirsuta Chrysopsis hirsutissima Chrysopsis hispida Chrysopsis horrida Chrysopsis imbricata Chrysopsis mollis Chrysopsis pedunculata Chrysopsis villosa Chrysopsis wisconsinensis Diplogon falcatum Diplogon villosum Diplostephium hispidum Heterotheca depressa Heterotheca foliosa Heterotheca horrida Heterotheca wisconsinensis Inula villosa Sideranthus integrifolius

Common Names
hairy false goldenaster hairy goldenaster


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Robert Briggs
Spring Lake park Reserve - still blooming on October 29th.


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