Solidago sempervirens
Solidago delicatula
seaside goldenrod, verge d'or toujours verte
smooth elm-leaf goldenrod
1–10(–20+), erect or ascending, glabrous throughout or hairy in arrays.
1–10+, essentially glabrous.
rosettes present at flowering;
basal and proximal cauline tapering to long, winged petioles sheathing stems or nearly so, blades narrowly ovate to oblanceolate, 100–400 × 10–60 mm, thick or fleshy, entire, acute, glabrous;
mid to distal cauline usually numerous, sessile, blades lanceolate, 40–60 × 5–10 mm, reduced distally, thick or fleshy, bases sometimes subclasping, margins entire.
basal and proximal cauline tapering to short petioles, blades oblanceolate, 50–70 × 10–20 mm, margins serrate, scabroso-strigose, apices acute to acuminate, faces glabrous;
mid and distal cauline subpetiolate or sessile, blades elliptic-lanceolate, 30–70 × 7–15 mm, gradually reduced distally, tapering to bases, margins serrate, scabroso-strigose;
branch leaves similar, reduced to bracts distally.
2–3 mm, glabrous or sparsely hairy.
2–5 mm, bracteolate, glabrous;
bracteoles grading into phyllaries.
3–7 mm.
narrowly campanulate, 3–5 mm.
8–17;
laminae 5–6.2 × 0.4–0.6 mm.
1–4;
laminae 1–2 × 0.5–0.8 mm.
10–22;
corollas 3–3.2 mm, lobes 0.5–1.2 mm.
4–6;
corollas 2.5 mm, lobes 1 mm.
in 3–4 series, unequal, lanceolate, margins ciliate, apices acute.
in 3–4 series, linear-lanceolate, strongly unequal, acute to ± attenuate, glabrous.
20–500, secund, in paniculiform arrays, secund-pyramidal to broadly club-shaped, sometimes leafy proximally, at least proximal branches spreading-recurved, branches and peduncles bracteolate, bracteoles reduced distally.
160–480 in paniculiform arrays, with a strongly secund, primary, arching axis and nearly always 4–5(–8) leafy, elongate, arching, secund, proximal branches.
(obconic) 1.1–1.5 mm, moderately strigose;
pappi 3.8–4 mm (slightly clavate).
1.5–2 mm (6–9 ribs), sparsely strigose, more so apically;
pappi 1.5–2 mm.
= 18.
Solidago sempervirens
Solidago delicatula
Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).
Solidago sempervirens is common along the seacoast from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to central America and the northern West Indies. Introduced populations are sometimes very large near the Detroit River and Lake Erie in southwestern Ontario, eastern Michigan, and adjacent Ohio. A second disjunct group of populations occurs in Illinois and Indiana in the Chicago area at the southern end of Lake Michigan. Two mostly geographically separate subspecies can be recognized in the flora range. A race also occurs in the Azores and is undoubtedly introduced there [Solidago sempervirens var. azorica (Hochstetter ex Seubert) H. St. John]. Plants cultivated in European gardens have been labeled S. sempervirens var. viminea (Aiton) A. Gray.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Solidago delicatula is similar to S. ulmifolia, but is essentially glabrous (except for leaf margins) with smaller, more numerous, less conspicuously veiny leaves. It is sufficiently distinct from S. ulmifolia that inclusion in that species as var. microphylla does not appear warranted. Reports from Alabama, western Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi are likely just smaller-leaved S. ulmifolia. Solidago helleri Small may be a hybrid between S. delicatula and S. ulmifolia.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Involucres 4–7 mm, rays 12–17, disc florets ca. 17–22; Newfoundland to New Jersey, locally to Virginia | subsp. sempervirens |
1. Involucres 3–4 mm, rays 7–11, disc florets ca. 10–16; Massachusetts to Texas and southward | subsp. mexicana |
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