Facts About Pineland Rayless Goldenrod

Range and Habitat

• The pineland rayless goldenrod grows from eastern Texas to central Florida and up to southeastern North Carolina. As the first part of this plant's common name suggests, it tends to be found in pinelands, but also grows in wet prairies, savannas and bogs, and along streams and roadsides.

Form and Foliage

• The pineland rayless goldenrod produces upright stems that grow 1 to 3 feet tall from a crown or short rhizome. Foliage is classified as either basal or stem, depending on its location on the plant. Stem leaves are narrow, linear and grow no more than 1-1/2-inch long. They are arranged along the stem in an alternate, rather than opposite, pattern. Basal leaves are clustered at the base of the stem. They are longer than the stem leaves and measure up to 3/8-inch wide.

Flowers and Fruits

• The flowers of the pineland rayless goldenrod generally appear from August through October, but bloom may also extend into November. The flowers appear on flat-topped, branched clusters at the top of the stems. The flowers are perfect, meaning they have both male and female organs. Individual flowers are yellow, small and consist of only disk florets. Pineland rayless goldenrod lacks ray florets, as the common name indicates, which are usually flat, broad and arranged around the disk florets when present. For example, sunflowers (Helianthus spp.) contain small, dark disk florets surrounded by distinctive yellow ray florets. The fruits of the pineland rayless goldenrod are slightly hairy achenes, small dry fruits that each contain one seed.

Taxonomy

• The pineland rayless goldenrod is classified within the genus Bigelowia with just one other species. There are two subspecies of this plant; both share the same common name but one, Bigelowia nudata ssp. australils, occurs only in Florida. Like many other well-known flowering plants, the pineland rayless goldenrod is a member of the Aster family. Although this plant shares a common name with them, it is not classified with the plants that are thought of as "true" goldenrods, the widespread members of the genus Solidago.