Chrysoma is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae (subfamily Asteroideae, tribe Astereae, subtribe Solidagininae) in the order Asterales. Described by Thomas Nuttall in 1834, the genus once contained over 20 named species, but nearly all have since been transferred to other genera — primarily Ericameria, Solidago, and Gundlachia — leaving only a single species: Chrysoma pauciflosculosa, commonly known as woody goldenrod.
The sole species is a branching, evergreen shrub reaching up to 100 cm (39 in) in height. It is resinous and entirely glabrous (lacking hairs). The flower heads are yellow and borne in dense, flat-topped arrays of many small heads. Individual heads may lack ray florets entirely or bear 2 or 3, with 2 to 5 disc florets.
Native to the southeastern United States, woody goldenrod occurs in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, and North Carolina.
Taxonomy
Chrysoma was described by Thomas Nuttall in 1834 in the Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Over 20 species names have historically been placed in the genus, but nearly all have been transferred to other genera in the Astereae tribe — principally Ericameria, Solidago, and Gundlachia. Only one species, Chrysoma pauciflosculosa, remains, making the genus effectively monotypic.
Distribution
Chrysoma is endemic to the southeastern United States, with its sole species occurring in the coastal plain and adjacent regions of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, and North Carolina.
