Heterotheca villosa, commonly known as the hairy goldenaster, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae found in central and western North America.
Description Hairy golden aster can grow from tall, but is more typically tall. Their leaves may be as long as , but are more often in length. Blooming from May to October, the flower head is about wide, with yellow ray and disk florets. The seeds have white bristles at the tip. The species can be difficult to identify, as it has a number of close relatives and many varieties.
VarietiesFlora of North America, Heterotheca villosa (Pursh) Shinners, 1951. Hairy goldenaster 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 west to British Columbia and south as far as Illinois, Kansas, Nuevo León, Guanajuato, and northern Baja California.Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution mapSEINet, Southwestern Biodiversity, Arizona chapter photos, description, distribution mapTropicos, specimen listing for Heterotheca villosa (Pursh) Shinners It grows well on dry lands, but also on plains, rocky slopes and cliffs, at low elevations and in coniferous forests.
Cultivation The wildflower gardener Claude A. Barr regarded it as a useful plant in the garden for its masses of bright yellow flowers.
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