''Solidago villosicarpa'' 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 ...

known by the common names hairy-seed goldenrod, coastal goldenrod, glandular wand goldenrod, and shaggy-fruit goldenrod. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

in the United States, where there are only four known populations.''Solidago villosicarpa''.
NatureServe. ''Solidago villosicarpa'' is a subsection of the ''Solidago Squarrosae'' (Bicolor) group that is found east of the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

in Canada and the United States. ''Solidago villosicarpa'' was first collected in 1949, misidentified for several decades, and described as a new species in 2000. It is a perennial herb that can grow to 1.5 meters (5 meet) tall. There is usually a single erect stem which may be brownish to bluish and has rough hairs. The basal rosette of leaves may be up to wide and may persist until the flowering stage. The leaves are serrated and lined with hairs. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

contains sometimes as many as 100

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 head containing 4-8 yellow ray florets surrounding 10-18

disc floret 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 ...

s. The fruits are covered in long hairs.''Solidago villosicarpa''.
Flora of North America. This species is native to the coastal plain of North Carolina.''Solidago villosicarpa''.
Center for Plant Conservation. It occurs in a variety of habitat types, but it is always found within of an

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

. It grows in several types of forest habitat and maritime scrub. It grows on the coast or farther inland next to tidal waters. The plant is likely adapted to patterns of disturbance, except for fire. The sites where it is currently found have all been logged at some point. The plants also respond positively to

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

damage, where surrounding trees are blown down. The species is probably not tolerant of shade and does better when the canopy is opened or removed. Each of the four known populations has between 100 and 1400 individuals. It is considered critically imperiled.

References

External links

Photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden, collected in North Carolina in 2000, isotype of ''Solidago villosicarpa''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7557968 villosicarpa Flora of North Carolina Plants described in 2000