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axillary goldenrod, blue-stem goldenrod, blue-stem or woodland or wreath goldenrod, verge d'or bleuâtre, wreath goldenrod

Photo is of parent taxon
Habit Plants (20–)35–80(–100) cm; rhizomes woody, caudexlike.
Stems

1–10+, usually blue to purple, glaucous, arching, straight, usually simple, occasionally with 2–3(–4) elongated lateral branches, glabrous or slightly strigose in arrays.

weakly arching.

Leaves

basal withering by flowering;

proximal to mid cauline sessile, blades lanceolate, (47–)70–100(–150) × 8–20(–30) mm, margins serrate (with 0–24 teeth per side), apices acuminate, faces abaxially glabrous or sparsely hairy, adaxially sparsely hairy;

distal sessile, blades narrowly lanceolate, (20–)40–70(–100) × (3.4–)5.6–11(–17) mm, margins entire to slightly serrate, faces glabrous or sparsely hairy.

proximal midcauline broadly lanceolate to rhombic, shorter, 5–9 × 1.3–2.4 cm.

Peduncles

2–10 mm, sparsely to moderately strigose;

bracteoles linear, 1–8.

Involucres

narrowly campanulate, (3.5–)4.8–6(–7.2) mm.

Ray florets

1–6;

laminae (1.5–)2–3(–4) × ca. 1 mm.

Disc florets

3–6(–9);

corollas 2–3(–4) mm, lobes (0.5–)1–1.5(–2) mm.

Phyllaries

in ca. 3 series, unequal, outermost lanceolate (1–1.7 mm), acute, innermost linear-oblong (2.3–4 mm), 1-nerved, obtuse to acute.

Heads

9–380, in short, secund, axillary and terminal racemo-paniculiform clusters (4.4–)13–36(–58) cm.

Cypselae

1–2(–2.5) mm, moderately to densely strigose;

pappi 2–3(–3.7) mm.

2n

= 18.

Solidago caesia

Solidago caesia var. zedia

Phenology Flowering Sep–Oct.
Habitat Shaded thickets and woods near creeks, wet lowlands
Elevation 20–200 m (100–700 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MO; MS; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; ON; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; FL; GA; LA; MS
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Solidago caesia is sometimes defined more broadly to include the erect-stemmed S. curtisii and S. ouachitensis.

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

Variety zedia occurs in scattered locations across the wet lowlands of the southeastern United States.

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

Key
1. Proximal midcauline leaves narrowly lanceolate, 50–150 × 8–30 cm; stems strongly arching; throughout most of range
var. caesia
1. Proximal midcauline leaves shorter and broadly lanceolate to rhombic, 50–90 × 13–24 mm; stems weakly arching; wet lowlands of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi
var. zedia
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 126. FNA vol. 20, p. 126.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Solidago > sect. Solidago > subsect. Glomeruliflorae Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Solidago > sect. Solidago > subsect. Glomeruliflorae > Solidago caesia
Sibling taxa
S. albopilosa, S. altiplanities, S. altissima, S. arenicola, S. arguta, S. auriculata, S. bicolor, S. brachyphylla, S. buckleyi, 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. caesia var. caesia
Subordinate taxa
S. caesia var. caesia, S. caesia var. zedia
Synonyms Aster caesius
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 879. (1753) R. E. Cook & Semple: Sida 21: 221, fig. 1. (2004)
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