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

spring-flowering goldenrod

Habit Plants (20–)35–80(–100) cm; rhizomes woody, caudexlike. Plants 50–120 cm; caudices branching, woody.
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.

1, ascending-erect, softly short villous.

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.

basal and proximal cauline winged-petiolate petioles (petioles 1/2+ leaf length), blades broadly ovate (or subcordate) to elliptic, 50–100(–160) × 30–40 mm, margins shallowly serrate-crenate, apices acute to obtuse, soft short-villous;

mid and distal cauline subpetiolate or sessile, blades ovate to elliptic, 20–40 × 5–15 mm, greatly reduced, becoming narrowly elliptic.

Peduncles

2–10 mm, sparsely to moderately strigose;

bracteoles linear, 1–8.

slender.

Involucres

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

campanulate, 4–5 mm.

Ray florets

1–6;

laminae (1.5–)2–3(–4) × ca. 1 mm.

usually 7–12;

laminae 3–6 × 1.5–2 mm.

Disc florets

3–6(–9);

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

usually 14–27;

corolla tubes 4 mm, lobes 0.8–1 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.

in 3–4 series, broadly lanceolate, unequal, glabrate or sparsely short-strigose.

Heads

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

50–100, in paniculiform arrays, proximal branches obscurely to evidently recurved-secund.

Cypselae

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

pappi 2–3(–3.7) mm.

1.5–2.5, sparsely strigose;

pappi ± 3 mm (shorter than corollas).

2n

= 18.

Solidago caesia

Solidago verna

Phenology Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat Open woods, fields, dry bogs, roadsides of coastal plain
Elevation 10–70 m (0–200 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
NC; SC
[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.)

Solidago verna is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.

(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. 133.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Solidago > sect. Solidago > subsect. Glomeruliflorae Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Solidago > sect. Solidago > subsect. Argutae > ser. Argutae
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. 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. villosicarpa, S. wrightii
Subordinate taxa
S. caesia var. caesia, S. caesia var. zedia
Synonyms Aster caesius Aster vernus
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 879. (1753) M. A. Curtis ex Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 2: 205. (1842)
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