Rough-stemmed goldenrod
Prepared by Jennifer L. D’Appollonio, Assistant Scientist, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469. Updated February 2018.
Scientific name: Solidago rugosa P. Mill.
Common name(s): rough-stemmed goldenrod, roughstem goldenrod, rough goldenrod, roughleaf goldenrod, rough-leaved goldenrod, wrinkleleaf goldenrod, wrinkle-leaved goldenrod, common wrinkle-leaved goldenrod
Link(s): 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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- new growth
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- hairy stem
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- leaf, both sides
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- appearance is variable
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- flowerbuds, early August
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- late August
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- flowerhead on one side of stem
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- flower detail
Description:
– perennial
-leaves are
- simple
- alternate
-can reach a height of 1-6 feet
– generally flowers late August through September in ME
– many goldenrod species in New England, and closely related species may hybridize. Two subspecies; ssp. aspera usually in drier habitats and ssp. rugosa (more common) in wetter habitats. There is a rare hybrid in the coastal New England states; see left sidebar of Go Botany webpage
Habitat:
-disturbed sites
-meadows and fields
-swamps
-wetlands
Natural History:
-gets its name from its wrinkled looking leaves
- indentations around the veins
Source(s):
Haines, A., Farnsworth, E., Morrison, G., & New England Wild Flower Society. (2011). New England Wildflower Society’s Flora Novae Angliae: A manual for the identification of native and naturalized higher vascular plants of New England. Framingham, MA: New England Wild Flower Society. p. 433.
Heinrich, B. 1976. Flowering phenologies: Bog, woodland, and disturbed habitats. Ecology. 57(5):890-899.
Go Botany. “Solidago Rugosa P. Mill.” Solidago Rugosa (Common Wrinkle-Leaved Goldenrod): Go Botany, 2021, gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/solidago/rugosa/.