# Heterotheca

Heterotheca (common names goldenasters, camphorweed, or telegraph weed) is a genus of North American plants in the family Asteraceae.

## Etymology

Heterotheca comes from Ancient Greek ἕτερος héteros "other, different" and θήκη thḗkē "case, chest", and refers to the fact that, in some species in the genus, the cypselae (achenes containing seed) of the disk and ray florets have different shapes.
Etymology: The genus “Heterotheca” (Heterothe'ca:) is derived from the Greek heteros, “different,” and theke, “ovary,” from the unlike cypselas of the ray and disk florets.

## Description, biology

These are annual and perennial herbs bearing daisy-like flower heads with yellow disc florets and usually yellow ray florets, associated with mesic to xeric habitats across North America. Several species now included in Heterotheca were previously classified in the genus Chrysopsis
Heterotheca species are often used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Schinia lynx, Schinia nubila and Schinia saturata (all of which have been recorded on Heterotheca subaxillaris).

## Chemistry

The leaf volatiles from which the name "camphorweed" is derived include camphor, but as a minor constituent (less than 2%); of the 41 documented volatiles in a study of Heterotheca subaxillaris, for example, caryophyllene, pinene, borneol, myrcene, and limonene each comprised over 5% of the total.

## Species

The following species are recognised in the genus Heterotheca:
* Heterotheca angustifolia (Rydb.) G.L.Nesom - south-eastern Colorado to central U.S.A
* Heterotheca arenaria (Elmer) G.L.Nesom - California
* Heterotheca arizonica (Semple) G.L.Nesom - Arizona to western Texas and Mexico (Chihuahua)
* Heterotheca ballardii (Rydb.) G.L.Nesom - central Canada to north-western & northern central U.S.A.
* Heterotheca bolanderi (A.Gray) V.L.Harms - California
* Heterotheca brandegeei (B.L.Rob. & Greenm.) Semple - northern Baja California
* Heterotheca camphorata (Eastw.) Semple - California
* Heterotheca camporum (Greene) Shinners - Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, New Jersey
* Heterotheca canescens (DC.) Shinners - Nuevo León, Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa
* Heterotheca chihuahuana (B.L.Turner & S.D.Sundb.) B.L.Turner - California
* Heterotheca cinerascens (S.F.Blake) G.L.Nesom - Idaho to Arizona
* Heterotheca cryptocephala (Wooton & Standl.) G.L.Nesom - southern and central New Mexico
* Heterotheca depressa (Rydb.) Dorn - Montana to northern Utah
* Heterotheca excelsior G.L.Nesom - Nevada (Spring Mountains)
* Heterotheca fastigiata (Greene) V.L.Harms - California
* Heterotheca fulciens G.L.Nesom - Nevada to Utah and Arizona
* Heterotheca fulcrata (Greene) Shinners - Coahuila, Tamaulipas, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho
* Heterotheca grandiflora - Telegraphweed - Baja California, California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah
* Heterotheca gypsophila B.L.Turner - Nuevo León
* Heterotheca harmsiana (Semple) G.L.Nesom - Mexico (Coahuila, Nuevo León, Zacatecas)
* Heterotheca hartmanii G.L.Nesom - Colorado, Wyoming
* Heterotheca hirsuta (Greene) G.L.Nesom - western and central Canada to north-eastern and western-central U.S.A.
* Heterotheca hirsutissima (Greene) G.L.Nesom - Wyoming to north-eastern Arizona and western Texas, Mexico (Nuevo León)
* Heterotheca hispida (Hook.) G.L.Nesom - western and central Canada to north-western and western central U.S.A.
* Heterotheca incensa G.L.Nesom - south-western Wyoming to Utah
* Heterotheca inflata G.L.Nesom - eastern and south-eastern Utah to Colorado
* Heterotheca inuloides Cass. - Mexican arnica - from Nuevo León to Oaxaca
* Heterotheca jonesii (S.F.Blake) S.L.Welsh & N.D.Atwood - Utah
* Heterotheca joshuana G.L.Nesom - southern California
* Heterotheca komarekiae G.L.Nesom - Colorado
* Heterotheca loboensis G.L.Nesom - south-central U.S.A.
* Heterotheca marcbakeri G.L.Nesom - west-central Arizona
* Heterotheca marginata Semple - Arizona
* Heterotheca mayoensis G.L.Nesom - northern Mexico
* Heterotheca mexicana V.L.Harms ex B.L.Turner - Durango
* Heterotheca monarchensis D.A.York, Shevock & Semple - monarch golden aster - Fresno County in California
* Heterotheca mucronata V.L.Harms ex B.L.Turner - Nuevo León, Coahuila, Tamaulipas
* Heterotheca nitidula (Wooton & Standl.) G.L.Nesom - eastern Arizona to western and west-central New Mexico
* Heterotheca oregona (Nutt.) Shinners - Washington to California
* Heterotheca orovillosa G.L.Nesom - south-western Oregon to California and western Nevada
* Heterotheca paniculata G.L.Nesom - Colorado to central New Mexico
* Heterotheca pedunculata (Greene) G.L.Nesom - Arizona to Colorado and New Mexico
* Heterotheca polothrix G.L.Nesom - western and south-western Colorado to northern & eastern Arizona
* Heterotheca postpetrinis G.L.Nesom - Utah
* Heterotheca pumila (Greene) Semple - Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico
* Heterotheca resinolens (A.Nelson) G.L.Nesom - southern Wyoming to Colorado
* Heterotheca rosei (B.Wagenkn.) G.L.Nesom - Mexico
* Heterotheca rudis (Greene) G.L.Nesom - western Oregon to northern and north-western California
* Heterotheca rutteri (Rothr.) Shinners - Sonora, Arizona
* Heterotheca sanctarum G.L.Nesom - California
* Heterotheca sandersii G.L.Nesom - southern California
* Heterotheca scaberrima (A.Gray) G.L.Nesom - California
* Heterotheca scabrifolia (A.Nelson) G.L.Nesom - southern Nebraska to Texas
* Heterotheca scelionis G.L.Nesom - Oregon
* Heterotheca schneideri G.L.Nesom - south-western Colorado
* Heterotheca sessiliflora (Nutt.) Shinners - Sessileflower false golden aster - Baja California, California
* Heterotheca shevockii (Semple) Semple - Kern Canyon false golden aster - Kern County in California
* Heterotheca sierrablancensis (Semple) G.L.Nesom - southern-central New Mexico.
* Heterotheca stenophylla (A.Gray) Shinners - Texas New Mexico Oklahoma Colorado Wyoming Kansas Nebraska South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota
* Heterotheca subaxillaris (Lam.) Britton & Rusby - Camphorweed, camphor weed, false goldenaster - widespread from Belize to California, South Dakota, and Massachusetts
* Heterotheca thiniicola (Rzed. & E.Ezcurra) B.L.Turner -
* Heterotheca utahensis G.L.Nesom - southern Idaho to north-western Colorado
* Heterotheca vespertina G.L.Nesom - western Canada to north-western U.S.A.
* Heterotheca villosa (Pursh) Shinners - central Canada to central U.S.A.
* Heterotheca villosissima (DC.) G.L.Nesom - California
* Heterotheca viridis (G.L.Nesom) G.L.Nesom - Mexico (Oaxaca)
* Heterotheca viscida (A.Gray) V.L.Harms - Arizona, New Mexico, Texas
* Heterotheca wisconsinensis (Shinners) Shinners - central Wisconsin
* Heterotheca zionensis Semple - Zion golden aster - Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming
Sources:

### Formerly included

Many species have been included in Heterotheca at various times in the past, but now regarded as more suitable for other genera. The most common of these is Chrysopsis, but others include Aster Bradburia Osbertia Munnozia Pityopsis + Tomentaurum.