Florida golden aster
| Chrysopsis floridana | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Chrysopsis |
| Species: | C. floridana |
| Binomial name | |
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Chrysopsis floridana Small |
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| Synonyms | |
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Chrysopsis floridana is a rare species of flowering plant in the aster family, known by its common name, Florida golden aster. It is endemic to Florida in the United States, where it is known from Hillsborough, Hardee, Manatee, and Pinellas Counties. It is considered an endemic of the west-central coast of the state in the general vicinity of Tampa Bay. There are 17 to 20 occurrences, many of which have few individuals, but one of which has over one million plants. In 1986 the plant was added to the US endangered species list because it was becoming increasingly rare, it was growing only on private property, and its habitat was unprotected and being destroyed and degraded by a number of forces. It is found at Bell Creek Nature Preserve in Riverview, Florida.
This is a short-lived perennial herb or subshrub growing 30 to 70 centimeters tall from a fibrous or rhizomatous root system. The erect, woolly-haired stem has densely hairy, glandular leaves, the lowest ones measuring up to about 10 centimeters in length. The top of the plant is occupied by a branching inflorescence of variable size, bearing 1 to 25 or more flower heads. The head has many yellow ray florets each measuring less than one centimeter long. Blooming occurs in November and December. The fruit is an achene two millimeters long tipped with a tiny pappus of bristles. These fruits are dispersed on the wind.
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Wikipedia