Solidago sempervirens
Solidago gigantea
seaside goldenrod, verge d'or toujours verte
buffalo-bur, giant goldenrod, late goldenrod, smooth goldenrod, tall or giant or smooth goldenrod, verge d'or géante
1–10(–20+), erect or ascending, glabrous throughout or hairy in arrays.
1–20+ or clustered, erect, glabrous or sparsely strigose in arrays, sometimes glaucous.
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 0;
proximal cauline usually withering by flowering time, sessile, lanceolate, 91–97 × 10–14 mm, margins sharply serrate, 3-nerved, apices acuminate, abaxial faces pilose on nerves or glabrous;
mid to distal cauline similar, 57–76 × 0.7–1.2 cm, largest toward mid stem, decreasing distally.
2–3 mm, glabrous or sparsely hairy.
1.5–3 mm, sparsely to densely strigillose;
bracteoles 0–2, linear-lanceolate.
3–7 mm.
campanulate, (2–)2.5–4(–5) mm.
8–17;
laminae 5–6.2 × 0.4–0.6 mm.
(7–)9–15(–24) (conspicuous);
laminae 1–3 × (0.1–)0.2–0.4 mm.
10–22;
corollas 3–3.2 mm, lobes 0.5–1.2 mm.
(4–)7–12(–17);
corollas (2.5–)3–3.5(–4.5) mm, lobes 0.6–1(–1.4) mm.
in 3–4 series, unequal, lanceolate, margins ciliate, apices acute.
in 3–4 series, unequal, acute;
outer lanceolate, inner linear-lanceolate (hexaploids from far west can have minute stipitate glands, especially near base of outer phyllaries and peduncle bracts).
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.
40–600, secund, in broadly secund, pyramidal paniculiform arrays, rarely rhombic or club-shaped, proximal branches divergent, recurved, glabrous-glabrate or strigose, sometimes glaucous.
(obconic) 1.1–1.5 mm, moderately strigose;
pappi 3.8–4 mm (slightly clavate).
1.3–1.5 mm, sparsely strigose;
pappi 2–2.5 mm.
=18, 36, 54.
Solidago sempervirens
Solidago gigantea
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 gigantea is usually the least hairy species of the S. canadensis complex. The stems may be somewhat glaucous and the array is usually somewhat more open than in S. canadensis and S. altissima, and less leafy than S. lepida. Its blooming season begins and ends earlier than S. altissima in eastern North America. The species is diploid, mostly east of the Appalachian Mountains, tetraploid throughout the eastern forest area, and hexaploid on the prairies. The broader-leaved hexaploids on the prairies have been treated as S. shinnersii; G. H. Morton (1984) indicated that the differences are not diagnostic. Reports of hexaploids in the mountains from Alberta, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and northwestern Wyoming all have minute stipitate glands on the phyllaries, peduncle bracts, and sometimes the distalmost leaves; such plants belong in S. lepida, as do plants from British Columbia. Stems sometimes have 1–2 elongate insect galls near the base (S. Heard, pers. comm.). Although reported from much of Florida, specimens were seen only from Liberty County; all other collections are S. leavenworthii.
(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 |
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
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IL Wildflowers, 
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LA Plants, 
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MI Flora, 
MN Wildflowers, 
MO Plants, 
PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. 
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