Sickleleaf Silk-grass (Pityopsis falcata)

Global Rank: G3 - Vulnerable
Legal Status: N/A
Family: Asteraceae
State: CT, MA, NJ, NY, RI
Nature Serve ID: 135789
Lifeform: Forb/herb
Date Inducted in National Collection:

Description:

Pityopsis falcata, or sickle-leaved golden aster, is a member of the sunflower family. It has long (2-3½ inches), skinny leaves that are curved inwards giving its leaves a sickle-like shape. It is a perennial with multiple above ground stems (each 8-15 inches tall) arising from an underground rhizome (a root that grows horizontally just beneath the surface of the soil). Each above ground stem can have multiple flowering heads, which are yellow and have a characteristic sunflower-look although they are relatively small at roughly ¾ of an inch wide. (Connecticut Botanical Society, 2015; New England Wildflower Society, 2018)

Where is Sickleleaf Silk-grass (Pityopsis falcata) located in the wild?

Distribution:

Pityopsis falcata’s native range is extremely small, including only five US states (CT, MA, NJ, NY and RI), but it has been found introduced into Florida and Ontario, Canada. It is of conservation concern because of its limited range, and because it is only found in meadows and fields on sandy glacial deposits leftover from when glaciers covered New England.
(NatureServe, 2018; New England Wildflower Society, 2018; USDA and NRCS, 2018).

States & Provinces:

Sickleleaf Silk-grass can be found in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island

Which CPC Partners conserve Sickleleaf Silk-grass (Pityopsis falcata)?

Native Plant Trust

Not Sponsored

Assigned 06/09/17

CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

Conservation Actions

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Sickleleaf Silk-grass (Pityopsis falcata) Characteristics

Nomenclature

Taxon	Pityopsis falcata
Authority	(Pursh) Nutt.
Family	Asteraceae
CPC Number	8218
ITIS	196347
USDA	PIFA
Duration	Perennial
Common Names	sickle-leaved golden aster \| sickle-leaved silk-grass \| sickleleaf silkgrass
Associated Scientific Names	Pityopsis falcata \| Heterotheca falcata \| Chrysopsis falcata \| Inula falcata \| Inula mariana var. falcata
Distribution	Pityopsis falcata’s native range is extremely small, including only five US states (CT, MA, NJ, NY and RI), but it has been found introduced into Florida and Ontario, Canada. It is of conservation concern because of its limited range, and because it is only found in meadows and fields on sandy glacial deposits leftover from when glaciers covered New England. (NatureServe, 2018; New England Wildflower Society, 2018; USDA and NRCS, 2018).

State Rank

State	State Rank
Connecticut	S1
Massachusetts	S3S4
New Jersey	S3
New York	S3?
Rhode Island	S2

Ecological Relationships

Photos

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