Asteraceae : Solidago canadensis
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Family Name
Asteraceae
Common Name
Canada goldenrod
Native American Name
Lakota: waȟčáziblu
Description
Solidago canadensis is a perennial, herbaceous plant with a fibrous root system and well-developed creeping rhizomes, often forming dense colonies. Plants typically reach 0.5–2 meters in height. The stems are erect, slender, unbranched below the inflorescence, and covered with short, fine hairs, especially toward the upper portions. Leaves are alternate, simple, 3-nerved, mostly lance-elliptic, 6–15 cm long and 1–3 cm wide, broadest near the middle, and tapering toward the base and to a sharp point at the tip. Leaves are sessile or have very short petioles and the margins are mostly sharply toothed except near the leaf base (leaves may be toothless or nearly so just below the flower clusters). Upper leaf surfaces are medium to dark green and rough-textured, while lower surfaces are lighter green and softly pubescent along the veins and occasionally over much of the surface. Flowering occurs from August through October, with the inflorescence forming a large, plume-like, branching panicle up to 40 cm long, composed of numerous small yellow flower heads. Each involucre is bell-shaped, 2–3 mm long, with several overlapping, greenish to yellowish, lanceolate phyllaries. Each head contains 7–15 yellow ray florets (about 2–4 mm long, 0.5–1 mm wide) and 3–10 yellow disc florets. Stamens are five per disc floret, with yellow anthers about 1.5 mm long, forming a tube around the style; the prominent style is 2–3 mm long with a bifid stigma. The fruit is a small, dry, ribbed cypsela (achene), 1–2 mm long, grayish brown, maturing in late fall; each is topped by a white to pale brown pappus of fine bristles, 1.8 to 2.2 mm long. Canada goldenrod is native to South Dakota and is common throughout the state, found in prairies, fields, roadsides, and other disturbed or open habitats with full sun and well-drained or moderately moist soils. Solidago canadensis and Solidago altissima are difficult to differentiate. S. altissima has longer pappus hairs and thicker, firmer leaves that are minutely toothed or mostly toothed in the tip half where S. canadensis leaves are thinner, laxer, mostly toothed nearly to the leaf base, and is generally less hairy throughout.
Horticulture Notes
Seed collection: Collect seeds from fluffy seed heads in late fall when achenes are mature and dry.
Seed germination: Seeds require light for germination; best sown on the surface of moist soil. Stratification is not usually required.
Vegetative propagation: Readily propagated by division of rhizomes in spring or fall.
Soils: Adapts to a wide range of soils but prefers well-drained to moderately moist soils.
Light: Requires full sun for vigorous growth; tolerates light shade.
Water: Tolerates moderate drought but grows best with regular moisture.
Additional Notes
Canada goldenrod is highly valued horticulturally for its tall, showy yellow inflorescences that bloom late in the season and attract a diverse array of pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects. Ecologically, it plays a vital role as a nectar and pollen source, and its dense colonies provide seeds and shelter for small birds and insects and cover for small animals. While primarily valued for ornamental and ecological benefits, some traditional medicinal uses exist, such as teas made from the aerial parts.