Heterotheca villosa

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.
;Varieties

Heterotheca villosa var. ballardii Semple - northern Great Plains in US and Canada
Heterotheca villosa var. depressa Semple - Wyoming
Heterotheca villosa var. foliosa V.L.Harms - Rockies, Black Hills, northern Cascades, etc.
Heterotheca villosa var. minor Semple - Rockies, Cascades, Sierra Nevada, etc.
Heterotheca villosa var. nana Semple - Rockies + other mountains from South Dakota to Arizona
Heterotheca villosa var. pedunculata V.L.Harms ex Semple - Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah
Heterotheca villosa var. scabra 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. 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.