// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Pityopsis aspera sad? No, it's just a little rough.
| Pityopsis aspera | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pityopsis aspera in Moore County, North Carolina | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Pityopsis |
| Species: | P. aspera |
| Binomial name | |
| Pityopsis aspera (A.Gray) Small | |
Pityopsis aspera, commonly known as pineland silkgrass or grass-leaved goldenaster, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is endemic to the southeastern United States.[1][2]
Description
[edit]Pityopsis aspera is a perennial herb with erect stems and narrow, alternate leaves concentrated toward the lower part of the stem. The stems and leaves are silky-pubescent, and the flower heads are borne in terminal clusters. The heads have yellow ray florets surrounding yellow disc florets.[1][2]
Flowering occurs from late summer into fall, generally from August to October, although plants identified as P. aspera var. adenolepis may begin flowering as early as late June.[2]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]Pityopsis aspera occurs in the southeastern United States. Plants assigned to P. aspera var. adenolepis have been reported from Maryland and Virginia south to northern Florida and west to southern Mississippi, while P. aspera var. aspera is reported from the eastern Florida Panhandle and adjacent south-central Georgia.[2]
It grows in longleaf pine sandhills, dry woodlands, forests, dry flatwoods, and disturbed areas.[2]
Taxonomy
[edit]The species was originally described as Chrysopsis graminifolia var. aspera by Asa Gray and was later transferred to Pityopsis by John Kunkel Small.[3]
Taxonomic treatment of this species varies. Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025 edition) recognizes two varieties, Pityopsis aspera var. adenolepis and var. aspera, while noting that Guy L. Nesom (2019) subsumed them into a more broadly defined Pityopsis aspera because he did not find clear morphological or geographic separation between them.[2][4]
Ecology
[edit]Pityopsis aspera is insect pollinated and is recorded to have been visited in northern Florida by Agapostemon splendens, Augochlorella aurata, Augochloropsis sumptuosa, Ceratina, Coelioxys mexicanus, Halictus poeyi/ligatus, Heriades variolosa/leavitti, Lasioglossum apopkense, Lasioglossum illinoense, Lasioglossum longifrons, Lasioglossum reticulatum, Lasioglossum weemsi/leviense, Megachile mendica, Megachile petulans, Megachile pseudobrevis, Megachile texana, Melissodes boltoniae, Melissodes dentiventris, Paranthidium jugatorium, Perdita bishoppi, and Pseudopanurgus labrosiformis. [5]
References
[edit]- 1 2 Semple, John C. (6 November 2020). "Pityopsis aspera". Flora of North America.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Pityopsis aspera var. adenolepis". Flora of the Southeastern United States. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
- ↑ Small, J. K. (1933). Manual of the Southeastern Flora. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.
- ↑ Nesom, Guy L. (2019). "Taxonomic synopsis of Pityopsis (Asteraceae)". Phytoneuron. 2019–1: 1–31.
- ↑ Ulyshen, M. D., K. Robertson, S. Horn, and C. Dixon. 2024. Characterization of the bee community and pollination network in a southeastern U.S. pine savanna. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 12:1403602.
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