Hairy False Goldenaster (Heterotheca villosa): yellow Minnesota wildflowers

Hairy False Goldenaster

Plant Info
Also known as:	Hairy Golden-aster
Scientific name:	Heterotheca villosa
Family:	Aster (Asteraceae)
Life cycle:	perennial
Origin:	native
Habitat:	sun; dry sandy soil, fields, waste areas, along roads
Bloom season:	late spring to early fall
Plant height:	8 to 20 inches
USDA PLANTS database:	Minnesota county distribution map
Spotted in Ramsey County at:	Long Lake Regional Park Rice Creek Trail Corridor

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Flower:: Flowers are 1 to 1½ inches across, with 10 to 35 yellow petals (ray flowers) and a yellow center. One plant may have up to 50 stems, with 1 to a few flowers at the top of a stem.
Leaves and stem:: Leaves are about 1 inch long and ¼ inch wide, toothless, usually widest at the tip end with a pointed or blunt tip, tapering at the base with no leaf stem. The color is gray-green and attachment is alternate. The leaves and stem are both sparsely to densely hairy. The stem may be a reddish brown color, or whitish near the top of the stem.
Notes:: Hairy False Goldenaster can take on a bushy appearance from its many branches, and can form large colonies.

Photos taken at Long Lake Regional Park, New Brighton, MN June and September 2007

Have you seen this plant in Ramsey County, or have any other comments about it?