goldenrods

(Solidago spp.)

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Overview • Description • Distribution • Taxonomy

Overview

Solidago is a very large genus of perennial, herbaceous, flowering plants called goldenrods. It has a worldwide distribution, occuring on every continent except Antarctica. There are about 100 species of goldenrod worldwide, at least 77 in North America north of Mexico, and 16 in Minnesota. Most are native to North America, 8 are native in Mexico, 4 in South America, and 6 to 10 in Europe and Asia. Most are found in prairies and other open areas, a few are woodland species.

Photo by Alfredo Colon

Goldenrods have an undeserved reputation for causing hay fever because they are showy and grow in the same locations and in close proximity to ragweeds.

Description

Goldenrods have composite flower heads with short ray florets and short disk florets. Most rise from underground creeping stems; have leafy, erect or ascending stems; and have yellow corollas.


Distribution
		Sources 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 24, 28, 29, 30.
3/12/2024


Taxonomy
Kingdom	Plantae (green algae and land plants)
Subkingdom	Viridiplantae (green plants)
Infrakingdom	Streptophyta (land plants and green algae)
Superdivision	Embryophyta (land plants)
Division	Tracheophyta (vascular plants)
Subdivision	Spermatophytina (seed plants) / Angiospermae (flowering plants)
Class	Magnoliopsida (flowering plants)
Superorder	Asteranae
Order	Asterales (sunflowers, bellflowers, fanflowers, and allies)
Family	Asteraceae (sunflowers, daisies, asters, and allies)
Subfamily	Asteroideae
Supertribe	Asterodae
Tribe	Astereae (asters and allies)
Subtribe	Solidagininae


Subordinate Taxa
Subgenus Solidago
	Section Solidago
		Series Solidago
			Solidago virgaurea
			Solidago litoralis
			Solidago dahurica
			Solidago pacifica
			Solidago decurrens
				var. decurrens
				var. insularis
				var. praeflorens
			Solidago minutissima
			Solidago horieana
			Solidago yokusaiana
			Solidago yambaruensis
			Solidago kurilensis
		Series Macrophyllae
			Solidago macrophylla
	Section Villosicarpae
		Solidago villosicarpa
	Section Erectae
		Subsection Erectae
			Series Erectae
				Solidago erecta
				showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa)
				Solidago kralii
				Solidago plumosa
				Solidago ayuhwasi
				Solidago arenicola
				Solidago austrocaroliniana
				stiff-leaved showy goldenrod (Solidago rigidiuscula)
				Solidago pallida
				Solidago jejunifolia
			Series Albigulae
				Solidago bicolor
				hairy goldenrod (Solidago hispida)
					var. hispida
					var. huronensis
					var. tonsa
					var. arnoglossa
				Solidago psammophila
				Solidago georgiana
				Solidago porteri
				cliff goldenrod (Solidago sciaphila)
			Series Puberulae
				Solidago puberula
				Solidago pulverulenta
				Solidago roanensis
		Subsection Humiles
			Western North American taxa
				Solidago bellidifolia
				Solidago glutinosa
				Solidago simplex
				Solidago spathulata
			Eastern North American taxa
				Solidago chlorolepis
				Solidago ontarioensis
				Solidago gillmanii
				Solidago randii
				Solidago racemosa
	Section Squarrosae
		Solidago squarrosa
	Section Brintonia
		Solidago discoidea (previously treated as Brintonia discoidea)
	Section Thyrsiflorae
		Solidago wrightii
		Solidago spellenbergii
		Solidago correllii
		Solidago orientalis
		Solidago buckleyi
		Solidago petiolaris
			var. angusta
			var. petiolaris
			var. wardii
		Solidago capulinensis

Subgenus Pleiactila
	Section Ptarmicoidei (Oligoneuron Group)
		prairie goldenrod (Solidago ptarmicoides)
		Solidago ptarmicoides × S. rigida
		stiff goldenrod (Solidago rigida)
			ssp. rigida
			ssp. humilis
			ssp. glabrata
		Solidago nitida
		Solidago ohioensis
		Riddell’s goldenrod (Solidago riddellii)
		Solidago houghtonii
		Solidago vossii
	Section Glomeruliflorae
		Solidago caesia
		Solidago zedia
		Solidago curtisii
		Solidago flaccidifolia
		Solidago glomerata
		Solidago lancifolia
		zigzag goldenrod (Solidago flexicaulis)
		Solidago albopilosa
		Solidago ouachitensis
	Section Multiradiatae
		Solidago multiradiata
		Solidago leiocarpa
		Solidago spithamaea
	Section Maritimae
		S. sempervirens complex
			Solidago sempervirens
			Solidago azorica
			Solidago mexicana
			Solidago maya
			Solidago paniculata
			Solidago chrysopsis
		S. stricta complex
			Solidago virgata (S. stricta sensu Gray 1882)
			Solidago stricta (synonym: S. perlonga)
			Solidago austrina
			Solidago pulchra
		S. uliginosa complex
			northern bog goldenrod (Solidago uliginosa)
				var. uliginosa
				var. peracuta
				var. terrae-novae
		basal complex
			Solidago gracillima
	Section Argutae
		Subsection Argutae
			Solidago arguta (var. arguta)
			Solidago vaseyi (synonym: S. arguta var. caroliniana)
			Solidago harrisii
			Solidago boottii
			Solidago ludoviciana
			Solidago faucibus
			Solidago tarda
			Solidago verna
		Subsection Patulae
			rough-leaved goldenrod (Solidago patula)
			Solidago salicina
		Subsection Brachychaeta
			Solidago sphacelata
	Section Venosae
		Subsection Venosae
			Solidago rugosa
				var. rugosa
				var. sphagnophila
				var. aspera
				var. celtidifolia
				var. cronquistiana
		Subsection Venosae
			Series Ulmifoliae
				elm-leaved goldenrod (Solidago ulmifolia)
				Solidago delicatula
				Solidago brachyphylla
			Series Auriculatae
				Solidago auriculata
		Subsection Drummondiani
			Solidago drummondii
	Section Unilaterales
		Subsection Triplinervae
			Series Canadensae
				Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)
					var. canadensis
					var. hargeri
				Solidago rupestris
				Solidago bartramiana (syn. S. brendae)
				Solidago fallax (northeastern)
					var. fallax
					var. molina
				Solidago lepida
					var. lepida (northern and western)
					var. salebrosa (western)
				Solidago turneri
				Solidago elongata
				late goldenrod (Solidago altissima)
					tall goldenrod (Solidago altissima var. altissima)
					var. pluricephala
					shorthair goldenrod (Solidago altissima var. gilvocanescens)
				Solidago shortii
			Series Tortifoliae
				Solidago tortifolia
				Solidago leavenworthii
				Solidago juliae
				Solidago pringlei
				Solidago durangensis
				Solidago macvaughii
				Solidago gypsophila
				Solidago veracruzensis
		Subsection Junceae
			Series Junceae
				early goldenrod (Solidago juncea)
				Solidago pinetorum
				Missouri goldenrod (Solidago missouriensis)
					var. missouriensis
					var. fasciculata
					var. extraria
					var. tenuissima
					var. tolmieana
			Series Spectabiles
				Solidago spectabilis
				Solidago confinis
				Solidago guiradonis
		Subsection Radulae
			Solidago velutina (including S. sparsiflora)
			Solidago californica
			Solidago altiplanities
			Solidago radula
			velvety goldenrod (Solidago mollis)
			Solidago hintoniorum
			Solidago gattingerii
		Subsection Serotinae
			North American taxa
				giant goldenrod (Solidago gigantea)
					var. gigantea
					var. shinnersii
			Chilensis Complex (South American)
				Solidago chilensis (including S. linearifolia, S. patagonica)
				Solidago microglossa (S. chilensis var. megapotamica)

Subgenus Nemorales (Nemoralis Group)
	gray goldenrod (Solidago nemoralis)
	Solidago decemflora (synonym: S. nemoralis ssp. decemflora)
	Solidago nana

Subgenus Triactis
	Section Odorae
		Solidago odora
		Solidago chapmanii
		Solidago sp. nov.
	Section Suffrutescentes
		Solidago ericamerioides

Source: Semple, John C. and James B. Beck. 2021. A revised infrageneric classification of Solidago (Asteraceae: Astereae). Phytoneuron 2021-10. 1-6. Last updated 22 August 2023 by J.C. Semple. Retrieved 3/12/2024

Synonyms
X Solidaster

Common Names
goldenrods


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Dan W. Andree
Goldenrod Frenchman's Bluff SNA... This was on Oct. 31, 2024 it looked kind of nice all the neutral earth tone like colors on the prairie this time of year. I read some of the sign your name stuff they have in that mailbox with a notebook out there. The last one to sign seemed to comment to enjoy it but stated to bad its surrounded by huge gravel pits and cornfields. Also stated google maps suck. Not sure why he thought that. But I am sure it TNC and DNR didn’t get together and establish Frenchman’s Bluff SNA it would have been a gravel mining operation or some type of development on it. It is kind a sad there is so little native prairie left. Really makes me appreciate a lot more the ones we do still have.
I sent a full size image of this to WDAY and Meteorologist John Wheeler showed it on his 6pm news the other day. I titled it Not frost…😄


Alfredo Colon

Nancy Falkum

Golden Rod with Leonard’s Skipper

Tom T.

Smooth Sumac Red Leaves and … Goldenrod


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Dan W. Andree
July 2024

Location: Frenchman’s Bluff SNA

This was on Oct. 31, 2024 it looked kind of nice all the neutral earth tone like colors on the prairie this time of year.

I read some of the sign your name stuff they have in that mailbox with a notebook out there. The last one to sign seemed to comment to enjoy it but stated to bad its surrounded by huge gravel pits and cornfields. Also stated google maps suck. Not sure why he thought that. But I am sure it TNC and DNR didn’t get together and establish Frenchman’s Bluff SNA it would have been a gravel mining operation or some type of development on it. It is kind a sad there is so little native prairie left. Really makes me appreciate a lot more the ones we do still have.

I sent a full size image of this to WDAY and Meteorologist John Wheeler showed it on his 6pm news the other day. I titled it Not frost…😄