Maryland golden-aster
Chrysopsis mariana
Its genus name Chrysopsis translates directly from Greek as 'golden appearance', a nod to its bright, sun-mimicking yellow flower heads.
- Scientific name
- Chrysopsis mariana
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Asterales › Asteraceae › Chrysopsis
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Dry, sandy or clayey soils in open pine woodlands, barrens, meadows, and roadsides.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (produces energy via photosynthesis using sunlight, water, and soil nutrients).
- Range
- Eastern United States, Southern United States
- Size
- 12 to 30 inches (30 to 75 cm) tall
- Lifespan
- Perennial (typically lives for 3 to 7 years, regenerating annually from a woody caudex).
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation, fire suppression leading to overshaded canopies, and displacement by invasive weeds.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. This plant is completely safe to approach and touch. Avoid trampling its root systems or picking the wild flowers; instead, take photos and leave them for native pollinators.
Chrysopsis mariana , known as the Maryland golden-aster , is a North American species of plants in the sunflower family The Maryland golden-aster ranges from Rhode Island and New York, west to Kentucky and southern Ohio, and south as far as Florida and Texas.
Photo: Becky Dill, CC0, via iNaturalist
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