Godfrey's Goldenaster

Chrysopsis godfreyi is found on the coastal barrier islands of western Florida. Habitat destruction has eliminated most populations east of the National Seashore, including the type locality. Two distinct forms occur in nearly all populations: forma godfreyi has densely long-woolly pubescence on the cauline leaves and peduncle bracts; forma viridis Semple has green, densely stipitate-glandular cauline leaves and peduncle bracts. The latter is similar to C. languinosa in leaf appearance.

Biennials or perennials, 20–50 cm; taprooted (rosettes developing along previous season’s growth at soil level). Stems 1, decumbent or ascending to erect, simple or branched (robust plants), proximally woolly, distally either woolly or densely stipitate-glandular. Leaves: basal sessile, blades oblanceolate, obtuse, 17–100 × 9–12 mm, apically sparsely dentate-serrate, faces long-woolly; cauline blades ovate to linear-lanceolate, 18–34 × 6–17 mm, either abruptly or gradually reduced proximal to arrays, bases sometimes strongly clasping, margins entire, apices acute, faces woolly or glabrous, densely stipitate-glandular. Heads 5–15(–25) (nodding in bud) in corymbiform to paniculiform arrays. Peduncles 2–8 cm, densely stipitate-glandular; bracteoles lanceolate to linear, either glabrous and densely stipitate-glandular or densely woolly and stipitate-glandular. Involucres campanulate, 9–12 mm. Phyllaries in 4–5 series, unequal, linear-lanceolate, 0.8–1.1 mm wide, apices spreading to recurved, attenuate to long-attenuate, faces densely stipitate-glandular. Ray florets 16–36; laminae 10–15 mm. Disc florets 40–90; corollas 6–8 mm, lobes 0.5–1 mm. Cypselae 2–2.5 mm, without ridges, shallowly ribbed, faces moderately strigose; pappi in 3 series, outer of linear scales 0.3–0.8 mm, inner of 30–35 bristles 6–7 mm, inner weakly clavate. 2n = 10.

Chrysopsis godfreyi, or Godfrey's goldenaster, is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to the states of Florida and Alabama in the southeastern United States.

Chrysopsis godfreyi is an herb up to 50 cm (20 inches) tall, with a large taproot and most of its leaves in a rosette close to the ground. It produces numerous yellow flower heads in large arrays, each head having both ray florets and disc florets. The species grows on sand dunes and other sandy areas along the Gulf Coast in southern Alabama and in the Florida Panhandle.