(DRAFT) - Taxonomy
Species ASTER, GOLDEN, FLORIDA
Species Id ESIS704017
Date 13 MAR 96
TAXONOMY
NAME - ASTER, GOLDEN, FLORIDA
OTHER COMMON NAMES - ASTER, GOLDEN, FLORIDA; ASTER, GOLDEN- and FLORIDA
ELEMENT CODE -
CATEGORY - Angiosperm
PHYLUM AND SUBPHYLUM - MAGNOLIOPHYTA,
CLASS AND SUBCLASS - MAGNOLIOPSIDA,
ORDER AND SUBORDER - ASTERALES,
FAMILY AND SUBFAMILY - ASTERACEAE,
GENUS AND SUBGENUS - CHRYSOPSIS,
SPECIES AND SSP - FLORIDANA,
SCIENTIFIC NAME - CHRYSOPSIS FLORIDANA
AUTHORITY -
TAXONOMY REFERENCES -
COMMENTS ON TAXONOMY -
Florida Golden Aster
Chrysopsis floridana Small
KINGDOM: Plant GROUP: Angiosperm
DIVISION: Magnoliophyta CLASS: Magnoliopsida
ORDER: Asterales FAMILY: Asteraceae
Chrysopsis floridana is a perennial herb with somewhat woody
stems. The plants have basal rosettes; new rosettes grow from seed or
are produced at the ends of short rhizomes or roots. The basal
rosette leaves are 4-10 centimeters long, 1.5-2 centimeters wide,
spatulate to oblanceolate, entire or toothed at the tip, and densely
short-wooly pubescent. Upright stems that grow from the rosettes or
the bases of old shoots are 0.3-0.4 m, up to 0.7 m tall. The stem
leaves are nearly the same size from the top to the bottom of the
stem. They are obovate-elliptic, slightly clasping the stem, entire,
and densely short-wooly pubescent. The flower heads are at the top of
the stem, in a more or less flat-topped cluster of 1-25 heads. Each
head is slightly over 2.5 centimeters in diameter. Both the central
disc and the rays are golden yellow. The rays are 15-20 in number and
6-7 mm long. The fruits are straw colored cypselas ("seeds"),
2-2.5 mm long, with a pappus of bristles. The species can be
Taxonomy - 1 (DRAFT) - Taxonomy
Species ASTER, GOLDEN, FLORIDA
Species Id ESIS704017
Date 13 MAR 96
distinguished from other members of the genus by its perennial habit,
the woodiness of its stems, by the wooliness and the shape of the stem
leaves, and by the way the flower heads are arranged in a flat-topped
cluster (04,05).
Chrysopsis floridana Small was described in 1903 from specimens
collected by S.M. Tracy in 1901. Fernald (06) subsequently made
C. floridana a variety of C. mariana (Chrysopsis mariana (L.) Ell.
var. floridana (Small) Fern.). Shinners merged the entire genus
Chrysopsis into Heterotheca; Vernon Harms concurred with this
arrangement of the genera and formally published the name Heterotheca
mariana subsp. floridana (Small) Harms (07). Long, preferring to
recognize the taxon as a full species, published the name Heterotheca
floridana (Small) Long (08). A floristic treatment of the aster
family in the southeastern United States by Arthur Cronquist (09)
assigned the name C. floridana to synonomy with C. scabrella, but
noted that "work in progress by John T. Semple may necessitate the
revival of some names here reduced to synonomy." Semple's revision
of Chrysopsis (04) recognized C. floridana as a full species and
provides a much fuller description of the taxon than had been
available previously. A spelling variation of the species' common
name is Florida golden-aster.
Holotype: NY; isotypes: CU, F, GH, MINN, MO, and US (04).
Taxonomy - 2 (DRAFT) - Status
Species ASTER, GOLDEN, FLORIDA
Species Id ESIS704017
Date 13 MAR 96
STATUS
Coded Status
Florida; Federal Endangered
Florida; Officially Listed
E: Federal Endangered
COMMENTS ON STATUS -
U.S. STATUSES AND LAWS:
The Florida golden aster (Chrysopsis floridana) has been
designated an Endangered species pursuant to the Endangered Species
Act of 1973 (50 CFR 17.12; P.L. 93-205, 87 Stat. 884; 16 U.S.C.
1531-1540), as amended. The species has this status wherever found
including the State of Florida.
RESPONSIBLE FEDERAL AGENCIES:
USFWS -Responsible for the management/recovery, listing, and
law enforcement/protection of this species.
All Federal agencies have responsibility to ensure that any
action authorized, funded, or carried out by that agency is not likely
to jeopardize the continued existence of the species or result in the
destruction or adverse modification of Critical Habitat (50 CFR 402),
and to utilize their authorities to carry out programs for the
conservation of the species.
STATE STATUSES AND LAWS:
STATE: Florida
DESIGNATED STATUS: Endangered
ADMINISTRATIVE AGENCY: Florida Department of Agriculture and
Consumer Services.
STATE STATUTES: The Preservation of Native Flora of Florida Act
Sec. 581.185-187, Florida Statutes.
INTERNATIONAL STATUSES, TREATIES, AND AGREEMENTS:
None.
ECONOMIC STATUSES:
There are no economic values for the Florida golden aster at
present. The plant may be suitable for planting on coastal dunes,
which could create a limited market for seed or nursery stock.
80/12/15:45 FR 82480/ - Designated Category-1 Candidate
85/08/05:50 FR 31629/ - Proposal to list as Endangered
86/05/16:51 FR 17974/17977 - Final rule, listed as Endangered
Status - 1 HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS
HABITAT - TERRESTRIAL
TERRESTRIAL
SOCIETY OF AMERICAN FORESTRY TYPES
SAF TYPE STAGE CLOSURE
Longleaf Pine shrub--seedling
Longleaf Pine young tree
LAND USE -
Residential
Cropland and Pasture
Mixed Forest Land
Sandy Areas other than Beaches
COMMENTS ON HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS -
"Chrysopsis floridana prefers open, sunny areas within the sand
pine scrub community. The dominant trees include Pinus clausa,
Quercus geminata, Quercus incana, Quercus chapmanii, and Quercus
myrtifolia. Smaller shrubs form thickets one or two meters in
height. The major species are Befaria racemosa, Lyonia fruticosa,
Serenoa repens, Asimina reticulata, and Ximenia americana. The
herbaceous layer usually includes Polygonella ciliata, Liatris
tenuifolia, Aristida stricta, Carphephorus corymbosus, Stillingia
sylvatica, Dalea feayi, and several species of lichen "(01).
Sand pine scrub is subject to infrequent, severe fires that
kill the pines and the above-ground portions of the oaks and shrubs.
Such fires, or equivalent human disturbance such as bulldozing,
promote establishment and survival of Chrysopsis floridana. The
plant thrives best in full sun and with little competition from other
plants (01).
Chrysopsis floridana usually occurs on St. Lucie or Lakewood
fine sands (01). These soils have little organic matter in their
profiles and are excessively drained. No information is available
on the sites formerly occupied by this species at St. Petersburg
Beach. The sites were probably sand dunes, with the sand being more
or less calcareous. The "remnant sand pine scrub patch" near Palma
Sola Bay in Manatee County where Clewell (01) collected this species
in 1982 may have calcareous sand soil.
Most of the extant plants of this species are in populations
located in vacant lots in residential subdivisions developed on sand
pine scrub. The partly-cleared lots appear to provide excellent,
although temporary, habitat for the plants (01).
At least one site occupied by this species is grazed by cattle
(01). Another site is on an abandoned railroad embankment.
Habitat Associations - 1 (DRAFT) - Food Habits
Species ASTER, GOLDEN, FLORIDA
Species Id ESIS704017
Date 13 MAR 96
FOOD HABITS
TROPHIC LEVEL -
AUTOTROPH
Food Habits - 1 (DRAFT) - Environment Associations
Species ASTER, GOLDEN, FLORIDA
Species Id ESIS704017
Date 13 MAR 96
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATIONS
G = General A = Adult
LIM = Limiting RA = Resting Adult
J = Juvenile FA = Feeding Adult
RJ = Resting Juvenile BA = Breeding Adult
FJ = Feeding Juvenile P = Pupae
L = Larvae E = Egg
RL = Resting Larvae
FL = Feeding Larvae
LIFESTAGE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATIONS
G
G
Environment Associations - 1 (DRAFT) - Life History
Species ASTER, GOLDEN, FLORIDA
Species Id ESIS704017
Date 13 MAR 96
LIFE HISTORY
HABIT:
Herb (01).
LIFE CYCLE:
The plant is a perennial with semiwoody upright stems (04).
TYPE OF REPRODUCTION:
Sexual (01,04).
The plant produces abundant seed, which may germinate best in
disturbed soil (01). New basal rosettes are also produced at the
ends of short lateral rhizomes or roots.
REPRODUCTIVE PHENOLOGY:
Germination dates are unknown, possibly occuring in summer.
Anthesis occurs in November and primarily in December. Fruiting and
seed dispersal dates are uncertain but may occur from December to
January (01,04,10,11,12).
The reproductive phenology of this species appears to be similar
to, but somewhat later than, that of the closely related, ubiquitous
Chrysopsis scabrella. Flowering is in late fall, and seed is shed
during and immediately after the flowering period (04).
SEX OR SPORE STATUS:
Monoclinous (04).
Ray flowers are pistillate; disk flowers are perfect (i.e.,
hermaphroditic) and fertile (09).
POLLINATION, SPORE AND SEED DISSEMINATION:
Pollen is disseminated by insects. Semple (04) notes that flower
color is the same throughout the genus, but that foraging insects may
be able to distinguish C. floridana from the inland C. scabrella by
the dense wooly covering of the leaves and stems and by the heads
being arranged in smaller clusters (p. 340). The entire genus has
out-crossing breeding systems.
Seed dissemination is probably effected only by gravity.
SEED BIOLOGY:
No information is available.
POPULATION BIOLOGY:
C. floridana is morphologically similar to C. godfreyi; both
species may be adapted by their morphological features and life
history to life on barrier islands. Both species are perennial.
C. floridana produces new basal rosettes from the ends of short
lateral rhizomes or roots, and new upright shoots arise from the bases
of old shoots (04).
ECOLOGICAL/EDAPHIC FACTORS:
C. floridana is usually found on St. Lucie Fine Sand or Lakewood
Fine Sand. Both series are Typic Quartzipsamments. These soils
are dry sand with very little organic matter. The plant apparently
Life History - 1 (DRAFT) - Life History
Species ASTER, GOLDEN, FLORIDA
Species Id ESIS704017
Date 13 MAR 96
once inhabited at least one barrier island, where its habitat was
presumably coastal dunes. Such sites are sunny, dry, and usually have
deep water tables. All sites where the plant has been found in recent
years are disturbed by bulldozing, pedestrians, grazing cattle, or
fire (05).
TROPHIC STATUS:
Phototrophic (02).
CHARACTERISTIC DOMINANCE:
The Florida golden aster is a component of its vegetation
community (05).
COMMUNITY ECOLOGY:
C. floridana is a colonizing species that thrives on dry, sunny
bare sand in sand pine-evergreen oak scrub vegetation. Such sites
are created by a variety of disturbances (05).
SPECIES INTERRELATIONSHIPS:
None known (04,05).
OTHER LIFE HISTORY DESCRIPTORS:
None.
Life History - 2 (DRAFT) - Management Practices
Species ASTER, GOLDEN, FLORIDA
Species Id ESIS704017
Date 13 MAR 96
MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
RESULT MANAGEMENT PRACTICE
Beneficial Prescribed/controlled burning of habitat
Beneficial Selective Thinning
Beneficial Maintaining undisturbed/undeveloped areas
Beneficial Land Acquisition
Beneficial Maintaining Early Stages of Succession
Beneficial Controlling/Removing Native Vegetation
Beneficial Maintaining Sperm/Seed Banks
Beneficial Stocking captive-reared wild-strain animals
Beneficial Transplanting wild animals
Beneficial Transplanting Wild Eggs/Wild Seeds
Beneficial Controlling/Removing Domestic Animals
Adverse Rural Residential/Industrial Areas
Existing Rural Residential/Industrial Areas
Adverse Shoreline modification/development
Existing Shoreline modification/development
Adverse Vegetation Composition Changes
Existing Vegetation Composition Changes
Adverse Suppressing wildfire
Existing Suppressing wildfire
Adverse Harvesting
Existing Harvesting
COMMENTS ON MANAGEMENT PRACTICES -
Past reasons for the Endangered status of Florida golden aster
include its apparent restriction to coastal sand dunes, sand pine
scrub vegetation, and perhaps to scrubby flatwoods in only three
Florida counties. These well-drained habitats were largely destroyed
by development (forest clearing and shoreline development) of the St.
Petersburg and Bradenton urban areas, and by rural residential
development between Tampa and Bradenton. Protection of the remaining
scrub vegetation from fire may have caused the loss of populations of
C. floridana due to shading by evergreen oaks and sand pines. Sand
pine scrub is naturally subject to infrequent, severe fires that kill
the pines and the above-ground portions of the oaks and shrubs. Such
fires, or equivalent human disturbance such as bulldozing, promote
establishment and survival of Chrysopsis floridana. The plant thrives
best in full sun and with little competition from other plants (01).
Present reasons for the status of this plant are its apparent
extirpation from Pinellas County (where it was collected from
St. Peterburg Beach in 1921 and from a scrubby flatwoods near Seminole
in 1983) and from the Bradenton Beach area of Manatee County, where a
site with the plant was becoming urbanized in 1982. In southern
Hillsborough County, the plant is restricted to only five sites, with
the great majority of the plants being in two residential
subdivisions, where they occupy vacant lots. The threat of
destruction of this remaining habitat is the primary reason for its
endangered status (01,10,11,12).
Management Practices - 1 (DRAFT) - Management Practices
Species ASTER, GOLDEN, FLORIDA
Species Id ESIS704017
Date 13 MAR 96
UNAPPROVED PLAN:
No recovery plan for the species has been initiated.
Potential recovery actions for the Florida golden aster include:
1) Protection of existing populations through regional land use
planning to control development of Florida golden aster habitat
or land acquisition (including easements).
2) Management of existing habitat (early successional stages) by
prescribed burning, brush removal, selective thinning of trees,
or bulldozing may be necessary.
3) Control of livestock may be necessary.
4) Conservation of germplasm can be accomplished through propagation
and establishment of collections of living plants in a controlled
botanical garden setting. Propagation can be by seed or
vegetatively. Germplasm conservation by seed storage is
possible.
5) Establishment of new populations on protected sites in the
historic range of the plant may be possible. New populations may
originate from propagated or wild plants or seed.
No recovery activities are underway at the present time.
Management Practices - 2 (DRAFT) - References
Species ASTER, GOLDEN, FLORIDA
Species Id ESIS704017
Date 13 MAR 96
References
***** REFERENCES FOR ALL NARRATIVES EXCEPT N-OCCURRENCE *****
01 Wunderlin, R.P. 1979. Florida golden-aster. In: Rare and
endangered biota of Florida, Vol. 5, Plants. D.B. Ward, ed.
University Presses of Florida, Gainesville.
02 Small, J.K. 1903. Flora of the southeastern United States.
Published by the author, New York.
03 Stebbins, G.L. 1974. Flowering plants. Evolution above the
species level. Belknap, Harvard University Press, Cambridge,
Mass.
04 Semple, J.C. 1981. A revision of the golden aster genus
Chrysopsis (Nutt.) Ell. Nom. Cons. (Compositae - Asteraceae).
Rhodora 83(835):323-384.
05 Wunderlin, R., D. Richardson, and B. Hansen. 1981. Chrysopsis
floridana. Status report prepared for U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service. On file at: Endangered Species Field Station
Jacksonville, FL.
06 Fernald, M.L. 1937. Plants of the inner coastal plain of
Virginia. Rhodora 39:433-459.
07 Harms, V. 1968. Wrightia 4:13.
08 Long, R. 1970. Additions and nomenclatural changes in the flora
of southern Florida. Rhodora 72:17-46.
09 Cronquist, A. 1980. Vascular flora of the southeastern United
States, Vol. 1, Asteraceae. University of North Carolina Press,
Chapel Hill.
10 Wunderlin, R.P. 1985. Personal communication. University of
South Florida, Tampa, FL.
11 Burdett, A. 1985. Personal communication. Florida Department of
Environmental Regulation, Tampa, FL.
12 Clewell, A. 1985. Personal communication. Andre Clewell, Inc.,
Sarasota, FL.
***** REFERENCES FOR N-OCCURRENCE NARRATIVE ONLY *****
01 Wunderlin, R., D. Richardson, and B. Hansen. 1981. Chrysopsis
floridana. Status report prepared for U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service. On file at: Endangered Species Field Station,
Jacksonville, FL. 49 pp.
02 Clewell, A. 1985. Personal communication. Endangered Species
Field Station, Jacksonville, FL. 1 p.
03 Wunderlin, R.P. 1985. Personal communication. University of
South Florida, Tampa, FL.
04 Burdett, A. 1985. Personal communication. Florida Department of
Environmental Regulation, Tampa, FL.
References - 1