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Riddell's goldenrod

Canada goldenrod, Rocky Mountain goldenrod, verge d'or élégante, western Canada goldenrod, western goldenrod

Habit Plants 40–100 cm; caudices branching; vascular bundles and petiole bases marcescent (attached to old stems for more than a season). Plants 25–150 cm; rhizomes short to long creeping, forming few- to many-stemmed clones.
Stems

1–10+, erect, glabrous.

1–25 (–50+), erect, proximally glabrous or sparsely to moderately canescent-villous, distally densely so.

Leaves

basal and proximal cauline usually withering by flowering (other rosettes may be present), tapering to long, winged petioles, blades often recurved, linear- lanceolate or -oblanceolate, 100–240 × 8–16 mm, folded along midrib (V-shaped in cross section), bases usually with (2–)3–8 prominent lateral nerves, apices acute to obtuse, faces glabrous;

mid to distal cauline sessile, blades recurved, linear-lanceolate, 50–70 × 8–11 mm, reduced distally, folded, bases with prominent lateral nerves.

basal 0;

proximal cauline sessile, blades narrowly to broadly oblanceolate, 100–150 × 15–23 mm, tapering to bases, margins subentire to coarsely sharply serrate, 3-nerved, sometimes obscurely so, apices acute to acuminate, abaxial faces glabrate to sparsely short villous, adaxial glabrous;

mid to distal cauline sessile, blades lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, (50–)90–120(–150) × (7–) 11–23(–35) mm, largest near mid stem, then somewhat reduced distally in arrays, margins sharply and coarsely to finely serrate or entire, usually becoming less serrate near arrays, faces glabrous or sparsely strigoso-villous, more so along abaxial nerves, distalmost (below arrays) sometimes sparsely to moderately minutely stipitate-glandular.

Peduncles

2.8–4 mm, moderately short-hispido-strigose, lanceolate bracteoles 0–1.

1–4 mm, villoso-hirtellous, sometimes minutely stipitate-glandular;

bracteoles 0–2, linear-lanceolate, sometimes minutely stipitate-glandular.

Involucres

narrowly campanulate, 4.5–6 mm.

campanulate, (2–)2.3–3.8(–5) mm.

Ray florets

7–9;

laminae 4.5–5.5 × 0.4–0.5 mm.

(7–)10–16(–22);

laminae (0.5–)0.9–1.6(–2.2) × ca. 0.2–0.5 mm.

Disc florets

6–10;

corollas 4.5–5.2 mm, lobes 0.7–1.8 mm.

(2–)5–9(–13);

corollas ca. (2–) 2.5–3.8(–5) mm, lobes (0.4–)0.6–1(–1.4) mm.

Phyllaries

(14–18) in 3–4 series, unequal, obtuse, broad, striations weak, obtuse to rounded, glabrous.

in 3–4 series, deltate-lanceolate, unequal (outer 1/4–1/2 length of inner), margins sparsely villoso-ciliate, sometimes minutely stipitate-glandular apically or basally, apices acute to attenuate, glabrous or sparsely to moderately, minutely stipitate-glandular apically, sometimes over much of faces.

Heads

30–450 in corymbiform to somewhat paniculiform with rounded corymbiform branches (robust plants) arrays, branches and peduncles strigillose.

14–800+, in sometimes secund, broadly thyrsiform or secund pyramidal arrays, usually leafy proximally, branches ascending or sometimes arching-spreading, leaves often minutely stipitate-glandular.

Cypselae

1.5–2.2 mm, glabrous;

pappi 3.5–4 mm (apically clavate).

(narrowly obconic) 0.6–1.2 mm, strigillose;

pappi 2.5–3.3 mm.

2n

= 18.

Solidago riddellii

Solidago lepida

Phenology Flowering Sep–Oct.
Habitat Wet prairielike sites and marshy ground
Elevation 100–400 m (300–1300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
IL; IN; MI; MN; MO; OH; WI; MB; ON
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NT; ON; QC; SK; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

Solidago lepida is the only member of subsect. Triplinerviae that is nearly always minutely, sometimes sparsely, stipitate-glandular in the arrays. These glands can be very small and visible only with 30–70× magnification. The enlarged head of the stalked gland may be little bigger than a pollen grain. The species occurs in the west from the Aleutian Islands and central Alaska south just into northern California, and in the Rocky Mountains to Arizona and New Mexico. Its range extends across Canada to Newfoundland, the Gaspé (Quebec), and northern New Brunswick. It also appears to be introduced at scattered locations across the Canadian prairies.

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

Key
1. Distal cauline leaves usually with 6–8 teeth per side; phyllaries very sparsely, minutely stipitate-glandular along proximal margins; e Canada (Solidago lepida subsp. fallax)
subsp. fallax
1. Distal cauline leaves usually with 0–6 teeth per side (plants of w mountains in United States sometimes more serrate); phyllaries, peduncles, peduncle bracts and/or distalmost cauline leaves sparsely to moderately, minutely stipitate-glandular; mountains, Alaska to Arizona and New Mexico, and across Canada, scattered eastward to the Gaspé, Quebec (S. lepida subsp. lepida)
→ 2
2. Heads in thyrsiform arrays, proximal branches ascending; much of range
var. lepida
2. Heads in pyramidal paniculiform arrays, proximal branches arching to recurved; Rocky Mountains and Cascade Mountains, Alberta and British Columbia to California, Arizona, New Mexico
var. salebrosa
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 165. FNA vol. 20, p. 155.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Solidago > sect. Ptarmicoidei Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Solidago > sect. Solidago > subsect. Triplinerviae
Sibling taxa
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. 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
S. lepida subsp. fallax, S. lepida var. lepida, S. lepida var. salebrosa
Synonyms Aster riddellii, Oligoneuron riddellii, S. amplexicaulis Aster lepidus, S. canadensis var. lepida
Name authority Frank: W. J. Med. Phys. Sci. 8: 499. (1835) de Candolle: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 5: 339. (1836)
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