About Chrysopsis floridana var. highlandsensis (De Laney & Wunderlin) D.B.Ward
Chrysopsis floridana var. highlandsensis is a short-lived perennial herb or subshrub. It grows 30 to 70 centimeters tall from a fibrous or rhizomatous root system. Its erect stems are covered in woolly hairs, and it bears densely hairy, glandular leaves; the lowest leaves on the stem can reach up to around 10 centimeters in length. A branching inflorescence of variable size grows at the top of the plant, holding between 1 and 25 or more flower heads. Each flower head contains many yellow ray florets, each less than one centimeter long. This plant blooms in November and December. Its fruit is a 2-millimeter-long achene, tipped with a tiny pappus made of bristles. These fruits are dispersed by wind. This variety grows in open areas of Florida scrub habitat, growing alongside sand pines (Pinus clausa). It can also grow in the ecotone between scrub and adjacent habitat types. It grows in white siliceous sand that was once part of an ancient dune system. This substrate is low in organic nutrients and holds very little water.
