Fast and prolific grower, flowers in fall and produces copious airy seeds like dandelion, seems to grow nearly 12 ft tall with trunks a few inches in diameter.
Hi Bert,
this shrub is Baccharis halimifolia, the groundsel bush, or eastern baccharis. It is a shrub expanding inland from the coast. The plants with lots of airy seeds are female. There are an equal number of male plants that do not have those hairs because they do not produce seeds. It is a native despite the fact that it is spreading inland more and more. It likes disturbed areas. It is in the aster family, Asteraceae, which also contains the dandelion.
Sincerely,
Dr. Steven R. Hill, Botanist, SCNPS