''Solidago albopilosa'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name whitehair goldenrod. It is a perennial herb that is endemic to the state of Kentucky in the southeastern United States. It is threatened by recreational activities in its habitat and is a federally listed threatened species of the United States.

Distribution and habitat

This plant species is only found in

Eastern Kentucky Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways * Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 * Eastern Air ...

, in a single river canyon, the Red River Gorge. It grows there within the Daniel Boone National Forest, in

Menifee Menifee (May 4, 1996 – June 13, 2019) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that competed in the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in 1999. His rivalry with Triple Crown contender Charismatic was compared at times with the rivalry betw ...

Powell Powell may refer to: People * Powell (surname) * Powell (given name) * Powell baronets, several baronetcies *Colonel Powell (disambiguation), several military officers *General Powell (disambiguation), several military leaders *Governor Powell (di ...

, and Wolfe Counties.''Solidago albopilosa''.
Center for Plant Conservation. There it is limited to

rock shelter A rock shelter (also rockhouse, crepuscular cave, bluff shelter, or abri) is a shallow cave-like opening at the base of a bluff or cliff. In contrast to solutional caves (karst), which are often many miles long, rock shelters are almost alway ...

s, open caves with overhanging rock formations. It grows on sandy soil that has accumulated on the sandstone floors of the rock shelters. It grows behind the drip line, out of direct sunlight but not in the darkest shadows of the caves.

Description

''Solidago albopilosa'' is a perennial herb producing one or more erect stems from a woody

caudex A caudex (plural: caudices) of a plant is a stem, but the term is also used to mean a rootstock and particularly a basal stem structure from which new growth arises.pages 456 and 695 In the strict sense of the term, meaning a stem, "caudex" is m ...

.''Solidago albopilosa''.
Flora of North America. It grows tall but it can reach in height. It is covered in white hairs.''Solidago albopilosa''.
The Nature Conservancy. The leaves have oval or spatula-shaped serrated blades up to long by wide, becoming smaller toward the end of the stem. The leaf blades are "so thin that coarse print is readable through hem"Braun, E.L. 1942. A new species and a new variety of ''Solidago'' from Kentucky. Rhodora. 44: 1-4. IN
''Solidago albopilosa''.
Center for Plant Conservation. The inflorescence is a cluster of up to 30

flower heads 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 ...

, each roughly half a centimeter (0.2 inches) long. The head contains three to five tiny yellow ray florets and a few disc florets. The fruit is up to half a centimeter (0.2 inches) long including its pappus. Blooming occurs in September through November.

Ecology

Other plants in this type of habitat and the surrounding forest include

white baneberry ''Actaea pachypoda'', the white baneberry or doll's-eyes, is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Actaea'', of the family Ranunculaceae. The plant is native to eastern North America, in eastern Canada, and the Midwestern and Eastern Unit ...

(''Actaea pachypoda''), northern maidenhair fern (''Adiantum pedatum''), jack in the pulpit (''Arisaema triphyllum''), flowering dogwood (''Cornus florida''), yellow mandarin (''Disporum lanuginosum''),

smooth hydrangea ''Hydrangea arborescens'', commonly known as smooth hydrangea, wild hydrangea, sevenbark, or in some cases, sheep flower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Hydrangeaceae. It is a small- to medium-sized, multi-stemmed, deciduous shru ...

(''Hydrangea arborescens''), Indian cucumber-root (''Medeola virginiana''), Nepalese browntop (''Microstegium vimineum''), partridge berry (''Mitchella repens''), clearweed (''Pilea pumila''),

Christmas fern ''Polystichum acrostichoides'', commonly denominated Christmas fern, is a perennial, evergreen fern native to eastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to Minnesota and south to Florida and eastern Texas.great rhododendron ''Rhododendron maximum'' — its common names include great laurel, great rhododendron, rosebay rhododendron, American rhododendron and big rhododendron — is a species of ''Rhododendron'' native to the Appalachians of eastern North America, fro ...

(''Rhododendron maximum''), poison ivy (''Toxicodendron radicans''), and maple-leaf viburnum (''Viburnum acerifolium''). Roundleaf catchfly (''

Silene rotundifolia ''Silene rotundifolia'', the roundleaf catchfly, is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family of flowering plants. It is included in the dicoty ...

''), and littleflower alumroot (''Heuchera parviflora'') are common associates.White, D. L. and N. C. Drozda. (2006)
Status of ''Solidago albopilosa'' Braun (White-Haired Goldenrod) (Asteraceae), a Kentucky Endemic.
''Castanea'' 71:2 124.

Conservation

Conservation activities include the installation of small fences around the plants and the redirection of trails through less sensitive habitat. The main threat to this species is damage to its habitat during recreational activities in this section of the Daniel Boone National Forest. Hiking, camping, and

rock climbing Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically and ...

are popular pursuits in the area. Trampling destroys the plants, compacts the soil, and damages the seeds and

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

s. Explorers invade the rock shelters and build fires, dump garbage, spread the seeds of invasive plants like garlic mustard, and dig in the soil for

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

artifacts.

Logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars. Logging is the beginning of a supply chain ...

opens the forest and increases light levels, decreases water, and increases the invasion of introduced species of plants, posing a further threat to the species.

References

External links

*
USDA Plants Profile for ''Solidago albopilosa'' (whitehair goldenrod)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7557947 albopilosa Flora of Kentucky Flora of the Appalachian Mountains Endemic flora of the United States Daniel Boone National Forest Menifee County, Kentucky Powell County, Kentucky Wolfe County, Kentucky Plants described in 1942 Endangered flora of the United States