Rayless Mock Goldenrod

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.

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.

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