Hairy Goldenaster

Heterotheca villosa

Pollinator Value

🐛 Larval Host: Eucosma ridingsana (Tortricidae)
S14 host record, in roots
🐝 Specialist Bee Host: Heterotheca genus hosts 16 specialist bee spp. (Fowler), incl. Perdita spp., Andrena fulvipennis, Melissodes boltoniae; none confirmed in ON/QC
S17 genus-level specialists, all SE/SW US ranges

Proximity Score: 4
Native Status: ❌ Outaouais ❌ Ottawa ❌ QC ❌ ON
Closest Direction: W
CEC Eco-Regions: 9 – Great Plains, 9.3 – West Central Semi-Arid Prairies, 9.3.4 – Nebraska Sand Hills
Rarity Notes: Ranked S1 (Critically Imperiled) in Ontario. VASCAN lists ON status as introduced. Ontario specimens are confined to railway corridors near Thunder Bay and Lake of the Woods, suggesting adventive rather than native populations. Not SARA listed. Globally secure (G5) with national rank N5 in Canada.
S22 S1 ON, G5, N5; S1 ON=introduced; S48 ON specimens on railways; S26 not SARA listed
Rarity Ranks: QC SNA – Not Applicable, ON S1 – Critically Imperiled
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: A prairie and grassland subshrub of open, dry habitats across western North America, found on open plains, rocky slopes, cliffs, and sandy soils from low elevations into coniferous forests. In Ontario, known only from scattered railway-associated populations near Thunder Bay and Lake of the Woods, where it occurs on disturbed, sandy or gravelly ground along rail corridors.
S4 habitat; S48 ON specimens along railways; S7 Michigan waif along railroads

Roles: Fire Retardant, Pollinator Attractor
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fire Retardant: S73 [MEDIUM]: S11 Fire Tolerance = High (not definitional)] | Pollinator Attractor: S73 [HIGH]: S64 Xerces listed (source-classified)]

Category: Analgesic, Dermatological Aid, Sedative, Disinfectant, Emetic, Gastrointestinal Aid, Toothache Remedy, Ceremonial Medicine, Heart Medicine
S28 Moerman categories
Notes: Extensively used in Indigenous medicine. Navajo (Ramah) applied leaf poultices for ant bites, sore nose, and toothache, used root poultices for toothache, and employed the plant as a ceremonial and sweathouse emetic for indigestion, sexual infections, and various ailments. Hopi used a leaf and flower infusion for chest pain. Cheyenne burned the plant as incense to remove evil spirits and took an infusion of tops and stems as a sedative.
S28 Moerman ethnobotanical records

✅ Edible

Foraging Notes: Moerman records only one food use: Navajo (Ramah) used the plant as sheep fodder. USDA rates human palatability as none. Not a documented human food plant.
S28 Navajo Ramah fodder; S11 Palatable Human=No