Many plants within the aster family are in full bloom in September, long after many other flowers have faded away. Goldenrods are in bloom, bright purple asters, like the New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) are flowering, and seemingly everywhere I walk, I encounter the sunny yellow flowers of sickle-leaved silk grass (Pityopsis falcata). 

Sickle-leaved silk grass, also known as sickle-leaved golden aster, has a highly restricted range and is only found on the sandy glacial deposits along the coastal plain of southern New England, New York and New Jersey. Due to this extremely limited range, it is considered rare in New England. However, due to ideal sandy conditions on Cape Cod, this plant is quite common here, particularly in open areas of sandy woodlands and around the edges of cranberry bogs. 

Sickle-leaved silk grass grows in small mounds, typically no higher than 12 inches. The name “sickle-leaved” comes from the fact that its leaves are narrow, rather stiff and often curved, resembling a sickle. These green leaves often contrast starkly with a white-wooly stem; the wool layer helps to protect the plant from salt spray. Although I’ve always heard this plant referred to as “silk grass,” it is actually an aster, not a grass. Golden asters such as this can be differentiated from other asters by having flower rays (the petal-like structures) that are widest in the center. Each flower head is approximately 3/4 inches in diameter.