The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

Buckley's goldenrod

Wright's goldenrod

Habit Plants 60–120 cm; caudices thick, woody, roots thick. Plants 20–110 cm; caudices branched, thick, and woody or rhizomes short, woody.
Stems

1–5+, sparsely to moderately short strigose or villous.

1–30+, simple, sparsely to densely puberulent proximally to densely so in arrays.

Leaves

basal withering by flowering, petiolate, smaller to much smaller than cauline, blades oblanceolate, margins serrate;

cauline sessile, blades elliptic-lanceolate or -oblanceolate, mid 80–140 × 2.5–4 mm, distally reduced, usually membranous, bases tapering, attenuate, margins sharply toothed along much of length to nearly entire, ciliate, abaxial faces short-pilose along small and large nerves, adaxial short-pilose along larger nerves.

basal and proximal winged-petiolate-subpetiolate (poorly differentiated), blades to winged petioles;

blades oblanceolate, largest to 8 cm, usually smaller, gradually attenuate, margins entire, slightly undulate, sparsely to moderately soft-puberulent, somewhat viscid (stipitate-glands very small); mostly withering by flowering, new rosettes sometimes present;

cauline petiolate (petioles 0.5–1 mm), blades (linear) elliptic proximally to (narrowly) lanceolate or ovate distally, largest 50–80 × 15–25 mm, reduced distally and becoming more ovate, 15–20 mm in arrays, margins entire or serrulate.

Peduncles

1–6 mm, moderately canescent;

bracteoles linear to lanceolate.

0.5–5(–2.5) mm, densely short hispid-canescent, sparsely to densely stipitate-glandular, ± viscid;

bracts small, grading into phyllaries.

Involucres

campanulate, 4.5–5.5 mm.

broadly campanulate, (3.5–)4–5(–5.5) mm.

Ray florets

6–8;

laminae 3–4 × 1–1.5 mm wide.

6–10;

laminae ca. 3–5 × 1–2 mm.

Disc florets

8–14;

corollas 4–5 mm, lobes ca. 1.5 mm.

10–20;

corollas 3–4 mm, lobes ca. 1 mm.

Phyllaries

in ca. 3 series, strongly unequal, erect to slightly squarrose-tipped, lanceolate, apices acute, glabrate, sparsely to moderately, finely stipitate-glandular.

in 2–3 series, unequal, oblong to linear-lanceolate, acute to attenuate, sparsely to moderately strigose, especially distally, sparsely to densely stipitate-glandular, ± viscid.

Heads

5–160 (2–10+ more per short branch cluster), in narrowly elongate paniculiform arrays, branches usually 1–6 cm (much longer in damaged plants, sometimes 1–3 proximal branches much elongated in undamaged plants), ascending and bearing short terminal racemiform or paniculiform clusters.

1–140, not secund, in thyrsiform-paniculiform arrays, sometimes compact, nearly as wide as tall, and rounded, sometimes appearing almost rounded corymbiform, proximal branches sometimes much elongate, not secund, spreading to ascending.

Cypselae

(reddish brown) 2–3 mm, glabrous;

pappi 4–5 mm.

1.5–2.5 mm, ± moderately short-strigose;

pappi 3–4 mm.

2n

= 18.

Solidago buckleyi

Solidago wrightii

Phenology Flowering Sep. Flowering Aug–Oct.
Habitat Open oak woods, ridges and slopes, bluffs Open oak-pine woods and rocky open slopes, disturbed ground
Elevation 100–300 m (300–1000 ft) 1000–2700 m (3300–8900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AR; IL; IN; KY; MO
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CO; NM; OK; TX; Mexico (Chihuahua, Durango, Sonora, Coahuila)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Solidago buckleyi is an uncommon species of mesic woods, most variable in the size and number of teeth on the large mid cauline leaves. Once seen, usually it is not easily confused with S. petiolaris. Reports from farther east are for plants of S. petiolaris.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

In Texas, Solidago wrightii grows primarily in the trans-Pecos region. It is one of the few usually obviously stipitate-glandular, viscid goldenrods; the stipitate glands are minute when present on other species. Two varieties have been recognized on degree of glandularity; these grade into each other to such a degree that their recognition does not appear warranted. The few plants seen from northeastern New Mexico and westernmost Oklahoma are possible variants of S. petiolaris, but overall they fit better in S. wrightii. A detailed morphometric study of this and the next two species is needed to resolve ambiguous species limits on the western Great Plains.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 118. FNA vol. 20, p. 117.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Solidago > sect. Solidago > subsect. Thyrsiflorae Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Solidago > sect. Solidago > subsect. Thyrsiflorae
Sibling taxa
S. albopilosa, S. altiplanities, S. altissima, S. arenicola, S. arguta, S. auriculata, S. bicolor, S. brachyphylla, S. caesia, S. canadensis, S. confinis, S. curtisii, S. delicatula, S. drummondii, S. elongata, S. erecta, S. faucibus, S. fistulosa, S. flexicaulis, S. gattingeri, S. gigantea, S. glomerata, S. guiradonis, S. hispida, S. houghtonii, S. juliae, S. juncea, S. kralii, S. lancifolia, S. latissimifolia, S. leavenworthii, S. leiocarpa, S. lepida, S. ludoviciana, S. macrophylla, S. missouriensis, S. mollis, S. multiradiata, S. nana, S. nemoralis, S. nitida, S. odora, S. ohioensis, S. ouachitensis, S. patula, S. petiolaris, S. pinetorum, S. plumosa, S. ptarmicoides, S. puberula, S. pulchra, S. radula, S. riddellii, S. rigida, S. roanensis, S. rugosa, S. rupestris, S. sciaphila, S. sempervirens, S. shortii, S. simplex, S. spathulata, S. speciosa, S. spectabilis, S. sphacelata, S. spithamaea, S. squarrosa, S. stricta, S. tarda, S. tortifolia, S. uliginosa, S. ulmifolia, S. velutina, S. verna, S. villosicarpa, S. wrightii
S. albopilosa, S. altiplanities, S. altissima, S. arenicola, S. arguta, S. auriculata, S. bicolor, S. brachyphylla, S. buckleyi, S. caesia, S. canadensis, S. confinis, S. curtisii, S. delicatula, S. drummondii, S. elongata, S. erecta, S. faucibus, S. fistulosa, S. flexicaulis, S. gattingeri, S. gigantea, S. glomerata, S. guiradonis, S. hispida, S. houghtonii, S. juliae, S. juncea, S. kralii, S. lancifolia, S. latissimifolia, S. leavenworthii, S. leiocarpa, S. lepida, S. ludoviciana, S. macrophylla, S. missouriensis, S. mollis, S. multiradiata, S. nana, S. nemoralis, S. nitida, S. odora, S. ohioensis, S. ouachitensis, S. patula, S. petiolaris, S. pinetorum, S. plumosa, S. ptarmicoides, S. puberula, S. pulchra, S. radula, S. riddellii, S. rigida, S. roanensis, S. rugosa, S. rupestris, S. sciaphila, S. sempervirens, S. shortii, S. simplex, S. spathulata, S. speciosa, S. spectabilis, S. sphacelata, S. spithamaea, S. squarrosa, S. stricta, S. tarda, S. tortifolia, S. uliginosa, S. ulmifolia, S. velutina, S. verna, S. villosicarpa
Synonyms Aster buckleyi Aster brittonii, S. bigelovii, S. bigelovii var. wrightii, S. wrightii var. adenophora
Name authority Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 2: 198. (1842) A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 16: 80. (1881)
Web links