White Doll’s-daisy

Boltonia asteroides

Pollinator Value

🐝 Specialist Bee Host: Perdita (Hexaperdita) boltoniae, Melissodes (Eumelissodes) boltoniae
S17 both oligolectic on Boltonia; S10 confirms oligolecty; ranges SE US (not ON/QC)

Proximity Score: 2
Native Status: ❌ Outaouais ❌ Ottawa ❌ QC ❌ ON
Closest Direction: SE
CEC Eco-Regions: 5 – Northern Forests, 5.3 – Atlantic Highlands, 5.3.1 – Northern Appalachians and Atlantic Maritime Highlands
Rarity Notes: Globally secure (G5) but nationally vulnerable in Canada (N3). Not SARA-listed. NatureServe lists native subnational populations in DE, GA, IA, IN, MB, MD, MI, NC, OH, PA, SK, VA. Not ranked for ON or QC, where it is not considered native.
S22 G5, N3 Canada; S26 not SARA-listed; S22 subnational_native list
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: A robust perennial of floodplain openings, prairie swales, alluvial meadows, and marshy mudflats. Colonizes exposed moist ground after flooding, where it may dominate for one to two years before yielding to competition. Typical associates include Penthorum sedoides, Helenium autumnale, Bidens spp., and Juncus torreyi. Primarily a species of the central and eastern US; in Canada native only to Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Nearest verified specimens to the Outaouais are from Vermont (ecoregion 5.3.1).
S7 floodplain colonizer; S10 habitats; S4 native distribution SK+MB; S48 nearest specimens VT

Roles: Fire Retardant, Fortress/Barrier, Pollinator Attractor
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fire Retardant: S73 [MEDIUM]: S11 Fire Tolerance = Medium (not definitional)] | Fortress/Barrier: S61 keyword match: spines? (supporting signal only)] | Pollinator Attractor: S73 [HIGH]: S64 Xerces listed (source-classified)]

❌ Not Edible

Foraging Notes: No documented edible uses. USDA rates human palatability as none, and Moerman's ethnobotanical database contains no food use records for this species.
S11 Palatable Human=No; S28 no ethnobotanical uses