''Heterotheca villosa'', called the hairy goldenaster, is a species of flowering plant in the family

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

found in central and western North America.

Description

The plant grows to in height and the

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are in average length. Blooming from May to October, the

flower head A pseudanthium (Greek for "false flower"; ) is an inflorescence that resembles a flower. The word is sometimes used for other structures that are neither a true flower nor a true inflorescence. Examples of pseudanthia include flower heads, compos ...

is about wide, with yellow ray and disk florets. The seeds have white bristles at the tip. The species is somewhat difficult to identify, with a number of close relatives and many

varieties Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

. ;VarietiesFlora of North America, ''Heterotheca villosa'' (Pursh) Shinners, 1951. Hairy goldenaster
/ref>University of Waterloo (Canada), Astereae Lab, ''Heterotheca villosa''
photos, drawings, distribution maps for each variety *''Heterotheca villosa'' var. ''ballardii'' (Rydb.) Semple - northern Great Plains in US and Canada *''Heterotheca villosa'' var. ''depressa'' (Rydb.) Semple - Wyoming *''Heterotheca villosa'' var. ''foliosa'' (Nutt.) V.L.Harms - Rockies, Black Hills, northern Cascades, etc. *''Heterotheca villosa'' var. ''minor'' (Hook.) Semple - Rockies, Cascades, Sierra Nevada, etc. *''Heterotheca villosa'' var. ''nana'' (A.Gray) Semple - Rockies + other mountains from South Dakota to Arizona *''Heterotheca villosa'' var. ''pedunculata'' (Greene) V.L.Harms ex Semple - Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah *''Heterotheca villosa'' var. ''scabra'' (Eastw.) Semple - Mexico, southwestern USA *''Heterotheca villosa'' var. ''sierrablancensis'' Semple - New Mexico *''Heterotheca villosa'' var. ''villosa'' - northern Great Plains, Columbia Plateau, etc.

Distribution and habitat

The species is widespread across central and western North America, from

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

west to

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

and south as far as

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

Nuevo León Nuevo León () is a state in the northeast region of Mexico. The state was named after the New Kingdom of León, an administrative territory from the Viceroyalty of New Spain, itself was named after the historic Spanish Kingdom of León. With a ...

Guanajuato Guanajuato (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato), is one of the 32 states that make up the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 46 municipalities and its capital city i ...

, and northern

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

.Tropicos, specimen listing for ''Heterotheca villosa'' (Pursh) Shinners
/ref> It grows on plains, rocky slopes and cliffs, at low elevations and in coniferous forests.

References

villosa ''Villosa'' is a genus of freshwater mussels, aquatic bivalve molluscs in the family Unionidae The Unionidae are a family of freshwater mussels, the largest in the order Unionida, the bivalve molluscs sometimes known as river mussels, or simp ...

Flora of the Great Plains (North America) Plants described in 1813 {{Astereae-stub