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Pityopsis ruthii
Also called Ruth's Golden Aster, Ruth's Goldenaster
Pityopsis ruthii is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name Ruth's golden aster. It is endemic to the US state of Tennessee, where it is known only from Polk County. It is threatened by the modification of its habitat. It is a federally listed endangered species.
This plant grows in soil that has accumulated in the cracks of riverbank boulders on two Tennessee rivers, the Hiwassee and Ocoee Rivers. The rocks are subjected to periodic flooding when the river levels rise, submerging the plants and scouring the substrates they grow on. The plants grow in nearly full sunlight and cannot tolerate much shade. The flooding and scouring action of the river water prevents the growth of other plants that might shade it out. The plant is associated with Liatris microcephala (smallhead blazing star), which tolerates the same kind of habitat. Other plants located near the aster include Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem), Andropogon gerardi (big bluestem), Agalinis tenuifolia (slenderleaf false foxglove), Symphyotrichum dumosum (button aster), and Symphyotrichum undulatum (wavyleaf aster).
Pineland silkgrass · Sickleleaf silkgrass · Narrowleaf silkgrass · Pityopsis microcephala · Silkgrass
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Pityopsis ruthii by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
