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CPC National Collection Plant Profile

Solidago villosicarpa

Family:	Asteraceae
Common Name:	Coastal Goldenrod
Author:	R.J. LeBlond
Growth Habit:	Forb/herb
CPC Number:	44450

Distribution
Protection
Conservation
References

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Solidago villosicarpa is Not Sponsored

Primary custodian for this plant in the CPC National Collection of Endangered Plants is:

North Carolina Botanical Garden

Solidago villosicarpa

Solidago villosicarpa is a late-flowering goldenrod with large, bright lemon-yellow floral heads, hairy stems and fruits, mostly hairless leaves, densely villous achenes, and thyrsoid inflorescences. It currently occurs in two counties in the North Carolina Coastal Plain. It was first collected in 1949 in Brunswick County, NC, but was misidentified as Solidago sciaphila. In 1963, a population was found in New Hanover County and misidentified as S. erecta. In 1990 and 1991, three more sites were found in Onslow County, when the NC Natural Heritage Program inventoried the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base; in 1998, a fourth population was found in Pender County. The Coastal Goldenrod received its formal name in 2000, but has not been found again in either Brunswick or New Hanover County (Sinclair 2004; LeBlond 2002; Morse 2005).

The Coastal Goldenrod occurs in a wide range of habitats, including the Maritime Evergreen Forest or Maritime Scrub, Dry-Mesic Oak-Hickory Forest, Coastal Fringe Evergreen Forest, and Pine-Hardwood Forest. All four current populations occur in areas of past logging, and two of these populations have shown a �vigorous response� to tree blow-downs resulting from hurricanes in 1996 and 1998. Because of the wide range of habitats in which it has been found and its association with disturbances, it is thought that this goldenrod is more wide-ranging along the coast of the Carolinas than is now known (LeBlond 2002; Morse 2005; LeBlond 2000)

Distribution & Occurrence

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State Range

North Carolina

Habitat

The Coastal Goldenrod is endemic to the Coastal Plain of North Carolina, where it has been found in several different natural communities. The Brunswick County historic location is thought to have been either a Maritime Evergreen Forest or a Maritime Scrub community and was located on a coastal barrier island, while the historic New Hanover population was found on a �sandy roadside.� The three current sites in Onslow County are classified as Dry-Mesic Oak-Hickory Forest, and may range into Coastal Fringe Evergreen Forest; all three sites have an open understory. The current population in Pender County is located in a Pine-Hardwood Forest, which was most likely a longleaf pine community before it was logged. Soils where this goldenrod is found have ranged from excessively drained to well-drained. Within these sites, the Coastal Goldenrod is typically associated with a canopy of oaks, pines, maples, and sweetgums (LeBlond 2000; Weakley 2002; Franklin 2004; Krings 2003).

Distribution

Onslow and Pender counties, North Carolina; three of the four populations are located on the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base in Onslow County (Sinclair 2004).

Number Left

Four known populations, each with 100-1400 individuals (LeBlond 2002; Sinclair 2004).

Protection

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Global Rank:	G1	9/7/2005	Guide to Global Ranks
Federal Status:			Guide to Federal Status
Recovery Plan:	No

State/Area Protection

	State/Area	Rank	Status	Date
	North Carolina	S1	E

Conservation, Ecology & Research

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Ecological Relationships

The Coastal Goldenrod is associated with natural and human-caused disturbances. All four current sites were logged in the past. Two sites were impacted by hurricanes in 1996 and 1998, and showed a �vigorous response� to tree blow-downs. Plants also respond positively to canopy openings from logging. Because of its association with disturbances and the wide range of conditions in which it is found, it is thought that this goldenrod may be more wide-ranging along the Carolina Coast than is now known (Krings 2003; LeBlond 2000).

Threats

� Ground surface alterations, from agriculture (including pine plantations) or other infrastructure uses.

� On the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base in particular, ground surface alterations including land alteration associated with construction, vehicle use, digging of holes and trenches, and bivouacs are threats.

� Long-term dense shading may decrease individual plants� life spans and could threaten entire populations.

� Road improvement activities, such as widening or paving, near roadside populations.

� Mowing during the growing season/reproductive period.

(Sinclair 2004)

Current Research Summary

Not known.

Current Management Summary

� The Department of Defense plans to monitor and manage the three populations located on the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base according to the guidelines proposed by NCNHP and USFWS, including partnering with NCBG for germplasm storage. The management goal will be to keep the populations from falling by more than 30 % for a ten-year period. If this drop occurs, the DOD, USFWS, and NCNHP will review the management plan and could suggest alterations.

� The fourth population is located on private land. The landowners were contacted and educated about the conservation need, and the USFWS plans to pursue a more formal conservation agreement, (Sinclair 2004).

Research Management Needs

Not known.

Ex Situ Needs

Additional seed collections.

References

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Books (Single Authors)

Weakley, A.S. 2002. Flora of the Carolinas and Virginia. Working Draft of July 29, 2002. Unpublished draft.

Electronic Sources

Krings, A. (2003). The NCSC Type Collection: Solidago villosicarpa LeBlond, Sida 19:291-300. 2000. NC State. http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/botany/ncsc/typelabels.htm. Accessed: 18 July 2005.

LeBlond, R. (2002). An old lamp sheds new light. North Carolina Natural Heritage Program. http://herbarium.unc.edu/3-4-02.pdf. Accessed: 18 July 2005.

NatureServe. (2008). NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. [Internet].Version 7.0. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. Accessed: (June 17, 2008).

Sinclair, K. (20 Apr. 2004). CPC National Collection Proposal. North Carolina Botanical Garden.

Journal Articles

LeBlond, R.J. 2000. Solidago villosicarpa (Asteraceae: Astereae), a rare new Southeastern Coastal Plain endemic. Sida 19(2): 291-300.

Reports

Franklin, M.A.; Finnegan, J.T. 2004. Natural Heritage Program List of Rare Plant Species of North Carolina 2004. Raleigh, NC.: North Carolina Natural Heritage Program.

Jacobs, R. 2002. USDA Forest Service, Southern Region. Supplement to the Final Environmental Impact Statement for Vegetation Management in the Coastal Plain/Piedmont. Management Bulletin R-8 MB 98A.

Secretary of Defense � Secretary of the Navy. 2004. Environmental Award. Natural Resources Conservation - Large Installation. Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, NC.

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This profile was updated on 3/4/2010