Sequoia False Goldenaster Heterotheca monarchensis
Sequoia False Goldenaster is a perennial wildflower native to the lower 48 states. A host for pollen-specialist native bees.
More about this plant
Heterotheca monarchensis is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names monarch goldenaster and sequoia false goldenaster. It is endemic to Fresno County, California, where it is known from only one location near Boyden Cave in the Kings River Canyon. It grows in the limestone cliffs of this Sierra Nevada river canyon, along with a few other rare local endemics. The plant was discovered in July, 1995, and described to science as a new species in 1996. Wikipedia →
Growing & care
USDA PLANTS · TRY- Hardiness
- ≥ zone 11 derived from its U.S. range
- Lifespan
- Perennial
Wildlife & pollinators
How pollinator value is scored →❧ Caterpillar hosts ~7 caterpillar species
Heterotheca supports ~7 caterpillar species.
Native butterfly & moth caterpillars are the base of the terrestrial food web — most songbirds rear their young almost entirely on them. As a host for native Lepidoptera this is a modest genus.
Recorded feeding on Heterotheca in North America, including:
✦ Bees specialist-bee host
Specialist native bees depend on it.
Some native bees are pollen specialists (oligolectic) — they raise young only on pollen from particular plant genera. Heterotheca is a recorded specialist-bee host, so losing it can mean losing the bee that relies on it.
Related plants
More Heterotheca →
Sources for this entry (12) Open & cited
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