Early goldenrod
Prepared by Jennifer L. D’Appollonio, Assistant Scientist, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469. Updated April 2019.
Scientific name: Solidago juncea Aiton
Common name(s): early goldenrod, plume goldenrod
Links: USDA PLANTS Profile, NPIN Profile, Go Botany
Images: (to see enlargements [PC]: click on image, then right click and choose “view image”)
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- young basal rosette
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- look for basal rosette next to plant
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- basal leaves sharply toothed
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- in flower, late July
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- robust individual
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- mid-August
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- middle stem leaves can be toothed
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- middle stem leaves can be almost entire
Description:
– perennial
-can reach up to 1-3 feet in height
-leaves are
- narrowly elliptical
- three parallel veins
- sharply toothed
- upper leaves are smaller and not hairy
-inflorescence and densely clustered flowers
– many goldenrod species in New England, and closely related species may hybridize. May be confused with S. uliginosa in wet areas; see left sidebar of Go Botany webpage
Habitat:
-sandy soils
-woods
-fields and meadows
Natural History:
– Solidago: from Latin solido, meaning “to make whole or heal”
- named for its medical uses
Sources:
Wisconsin State University. “ Solidago Juncea.” Online Virtual Flora of Wisconsin , Department of Botany, wisflora.herbarium.wisc.edu/taxa/index.php?taxon=5087.