Rayless mock goldenrod

Aster discoideus Elliott, Sketch Bot. S. Carolina 2: 358. 1823; Solidago discoidea (Elliott) Torrey & A. Gray

Stems moderately soft-villous (longest hairs ca. 1 mm), sometimes sparsely proximally. Leaves: basal and proximal cauline: petioles distally winged, 2–8 cm, moderately villous, blades broadly to narrowly ovate, 40–100 × 30–80 mm, bases cordate or attenuate, margins serrate, teeth acuminate, faces abaxially moderately short-strigose, hairs longer on larger nerves, adaxially less short-strigose; mid and distal cauline: petioles reduced distally to ¹ / 4 lengths of blades in arrays, blades similar to proximal, reduced distally to 1 cm. Heads 1–4(–10) per lateral branch; 1–4 proximal branches to 10+ cm. Peduncles shorter than internodes, thin, strigose; bracteoles proximal to heads linear, strigose. Phyllaries: lengths of outer 2 times inner, apices long-acuminate, both faces apically villoso-strigose. Disc floret corollas 4–5 mm, narrow tubes bright green, limbs 50–60% length of corolla, lobes 1.5–2 mm, 75% length of limbs; anthers faintly tinted rose-purple; style branches linear-lanceolate, abaxially hispidulous proximally, otherwise finely papillate, abaxial-marginal stigmatic lines along proximal ² / 5. Cypselae golden brown to dark brown, 3–4 mm. 2n = 18.

Flowering Aug–Oct. Sandy soils, rich, sometimes swampy woods; 10–200 m; Ala., Fla., Ga., La., Miss.

Brintonia discoidea grows on the Gulf coastal plain east of the Mississippi River and in the extreme southern valley and ridge province in northern Alabama.