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Narrowleaf Silkgrass

Pityopsis graminifolia

Found in longleaf pine sandhills, other dry woodlands. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

74
Strong

Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 88%

Height
About 2.8 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Good drainage
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Leaves
Semi-evergreen
Bloom
Summer and fall
Fruiting season
Summer to fall

Not yet recorded · Spread

Recorded in 52 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Sandhills

Dry, deep-sand ridges with longleaf pine and turkey oak, kept open by fire.

Dry forests and woodlands

Forests and open woodlands on dry ridges and slopes, often oak or pine.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Alabama. Shared habitat, not food. 69 animals.

All wildlife of Alabama

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

18CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Heterotheca

  • Chloridea virescensTobacco Budworm Moth
  • Chlorochlamys chloroleucariaBlackberry Looper Moth
  • Epiblema scudderianaScudder's Epiblema, Goldenrod Gall Moth
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Feltia subgothicaSubgothic Dart
  • Feltia tricosaConfused Dart, Tricose Dart
  • Heliocheilus paradoxusParadoxical Grass Moth
  • Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
  • Ponometia semiflavaHalf-Yellow Bird-Dropping Moth, Half-Yellow Moth
  • Schinia arcigeraArcigera Flower Moth
Show all 18
  • Schinia lynxLynx Flower Moth
  • Schinia nubilaCamphorweed Flower Moth
  • Schinia saturataBrown Flower Moth
  • Schinia sirenAluring Schinia Moth
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
  • Synchlora frondariaSouthern Emerald
  • Dejongia californicus
  • Hellinsia chlorias
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
48BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Pityopsis

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
22Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Heterotheca

  • Andrena fulvipennis
  • Ashmeadiella bucconis
  • Colletes speculiferus
  • Colletes thysanellae
  • Dieunomia heteropoda
  • Dieunomia nevadensis
  • Hesperapis carinata
  • Melissodes coreopsis
  • Melissodes dentiventris
  • Melissodes desponsus
Show all 22
  • Melissodes druriellus
  • Melissodes menuachus
  • Perdita albipennis
  • Perdita bishoppi
  • Perdita boltoniae
  • Perdita consobrina
  • Perdita georgica
  • Perdita graenicheri
  • Perdita ignota
  • Perdita octomaculata
  • Perdita swenki
  • Perdita xanthismae
Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Asteraceae
Hardiness
Zones 5a–9b
Flower color
Yellow
Growth rate
Slow
Growth habit
Spreads by rhizomes
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Summer
Fruit ends
Fall

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “Summer and fall” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition, USDA PLANTS differ)
  • Flower color · “Yellow” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
  • Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit begins · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit ends · “Fall” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth habit · “Spreads by rhizomes” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth rate · “Slow” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Hardiness · “Zones 5a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; NC Extension Plant Toolbox differs)
  • Height · “About 2.8 feet” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Leaves · “Semi-evergreen” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Soil · “Good drainage” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; NC Extension Plant Toolbox differs)
Also known as

Heterotheca correllii; Narrowleaf Grass Leaf Goldenaster; golden aster; golden-aster

Conservation status

Alabama rankSNR
Global rankG5T4 [G4]
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

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How to check your spot

Growing cautions

  • Spreads by rhizomes. USDA PLANTS lists its growth form as rhizomatous. USDA PLANTS

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Sources