Table of Contents for Slender Goldentop (Euthamia caroliniana)
Slender Goldentop (Euthamia caroliniana) is a herbaceous perennial that is native to the eastern and south-central United States and the provinces of Ontario and Nova Scotia in Canada. This plant is a host to several moths and is important as a nectar source for bees and other insects. Growing from 1 to 3 feet tall, this species grows on the edges of wetlands, woodlands, and roadsides. The yellow flowers bloom from August to December and the plant is hardy in zones 5-10.
Taxonomy and Naming of Slender Goldentop (Euthamia caroliniana)
Taxonomy
Slender Goldentop (Euthamia caroliniana) was originally named and described by Carl von Linnaeus in 1753 as Erigeron carolinianus. In 1894, Thomas Porter and Nathaniel Britton, changed the genus to Euthamia, using the concept of the genus from Edward Lee Green (Nesom 1999). It has been a succession of names, most of which were regional variants, over time but it retains the name given by Porter and Britton today and is a member of the Aster Family (Asteraceae).
Meaning of the Scientific and Common Names
Scientific Name
The genus name, Euthamia, is likely a composite name of the Greek words “thamees” crowded and “ia” to place (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). The species name, caroliniana, is a Latinized version of Carolina, denotes the assumed habitat of the species by Linnaeus (Fernald 1944).
Common Name and Alternative Names
The common name comes from the narrowness of the flower. Other common names include Coastal Plain Goldentop, Carolina Grass-leaved Goldentop, Slender Fragrant Goldentop, Slender Fragrant Golden-rod, and Narrow-leaf Euthamia.
Physical Description
- Plant Type: This plant is a herbaceous perennial.
- Height: 1 to 3.5 feet tall
- Stem: The stems are erect and glabrous. The roots are fibrous and spread by rhizomes (Sieren 1981).
- Leaves: The leaves are alternate, sessile, linear to linear-filiform and have entire margins. They are 1 to 3 inches long and 0.04 to 0.2 inches wide. The leaves are described as being gland-dotted (Flora of North America).
- Flower color: yellow
- Blooming period: This plant blooms from August to December.
- Fruiting type and period: This plant has achenes that mature in the late fall and winter.
Range of Slender Goldentop in the United States and Canada
This species is native to the eastern and south-central United States, except for New York, Maine, and Delaware. It is also located and considered rare in the provinces of Ontario and Nova Scotia in Canada. It is considered to be rare in the states of New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Texas.
Habitat
This species grows on the edges of wetlands, shores, sandy coastal prairies (Singhurst, et al 2009), pine flatwoods (Zomlefer, et al 2007 and Ferguson and Wunderlin 2006), sandy fields (Keller and Brown 1905), woodlands, and roadsides.
Hosted Insects
The members of the goldentop genus (Euthamia) are hosts to many species of moths including Coleophora intermediella, Epiblema desertana, and Cucullia florea.
Other Supported Wildlife
This species is an important nectar source to other butterflies, skippers, bees, and wasps during fall season when a lot of other plants have finished flowering.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this plant have any ethnobotanical uses?
The Native American Ethobotanical Database does not cite this species specifically, but a related species in the genus, Euthamia graminifolia, has been used for pain and lung issues.
How is this plant distinguished from other Goldentops?
This species is most similar to the common goldentop (Euthamia graminifolia), but the common goldentop has leaves that are wider than 0.1 inches and the leaves are sparsely glandular (Flora of North America).
How are Goldentops distinguished from Goldenrods?
At first glance this species looks similar to a goldenrod and has at times been placed in the goldenrod genus, Solidago (Nesom 1999). However, the goldentops, Euthamia, have flat-tops versus the non flat-topped goldenrods.
Is this plant invasive?
This plant has been noted as a weed in pastures in Connecticut (Graves, et al 1910) and in Alabama (Harper 1906).
Gardening with Slender Goldentop
Hardiness
This species is hardy in zones 5-10. If your garden is within these zones and you have the right growing conditions (soil, moisture and exposure), you may well be able to grow this plant. However, if planted outside of its range, the hosted species may not recognize the plant or be harmed by ingesting a different species with an unfamiliar chemical composition.
Optimal Conditions
This species can grow in full sun to partial-shade in moist to dry sandy, gravelly (Mohr 1901) well-drained soil.
References
- Ferguson, Emily and Richard P. Wunderlin. 2006. A Vascular Plant Inventory of Starkey Wilderness Preserve, Pasco County, Florida. Sida 22: 635-659.
- Fernald, Merritt Lyndon. 1944. Is Erigeron carolinianus a valid American Species? Rhodora 46: 323-330.
- Graves, Charles Burr, Edwin Hubert Eames, Charles Humphrey Bissell, Luman Andrews, Edgar Burton Harger, Charles Alfred Weatherby. 1910. Catalogue of the Flowering Plants and Ferns of Connecticut growing without cultivation. (Hartford, CT: State Geological and Natural History Survey).
- Harper, Roland M. 1906. A Phytogeographic Sketch of the Altamaha Grit Region of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 17: 1-414.
- Keller, Ida A. and Stewardson Brown. 1905. Handbook to the Flora of Philadelphia and Vicinity, containing data relating to the plants within the following radius: eastern Pennsylvania; all of New Jersey except for the northern counties; and New Castle County, Delaware, with keys for the identification of species. (Philadelphia: Philadelphia Botanical Club).
- Mohr, Charles. 1901. Plant Life of Alabama, an account of the distribution, modes of association, and adaptations of the flora of Alabama, together with a systematic catalogue of the plants growing in the state. (Montgomery, AL: Monograph 5 of Geological Survey of Alabama.
- Nesom, Guy. 1999. Review of the Early Nomenclature in Euthamia (Asteraceae: Astereae). Sida 18: 1009-1018.
- Sieren, D.J. 1981. The Taxonomy of the Genus Euthamia. Rhodora 83: 551-579.
- Singhurst, Jason R., David J. Rosen, and Walter C. Holmes. 2009. Two Additions to the Vascular Flora of Texas. Phytologia 91(1): 69-72.
- Zomlefer, Wendy B., David E. Giannasi, and Walter S. Judd. 2007. A Floristic Survey of National Park Service Area of Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve (Including Fort Caroline National Memorial), Duval County, Florida. Journal of the Botanical Research of Texas 1: 1157-1178.
