Solidago sempervirens
Solidago sphacelata
seaside goldenrod, verge d'or toujours verte
autumn goldenrod, false goldenrod, limestone goldenrod
1–10(–20+), erect or ascending, glabrous throughout or hairy in arrays.
usually 1, ascending to erect or arching, densely spreading-puberulent to occasionally subglabrous.
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 (rosettes) present at flowering, conspicuously petiolate, petioles slightly winged distally, to 100 mm, blades cordate, 40–120 × 40–110 mm, margins coarsely sharp-serrate, apices acute to acuminate, abaxial faces moderately to densely spreading-puberulent, adaxial sparsely so or glabrate;
mid and distal cauline progressively reduced, less petiolate, blades ovate to lanceolate, less cordate distally, 40–60 × 20–30 mm, margins finely serrate.
2–3 mm, glabrous or sparsely hairy.
0–1 mm, sparsely hispido-strigose, bracteoles 1–4, lanceolate-ovate, grading into phyllaries.
3–7 mm.
narrowly campanulate, 3–4.5 mm.
8–17;
laminae 5–6.2 × 0.4–0.6 mm.
3–6;
laminae ca. 1 × 0.5–0.7 mm.
10–22;
corollas 3–3.2 mm, lobes 0.5–1.2 mm.
3–6;
corollas 2–2.5 mm, lobes 0.75–1.2 mm.
in 3–4 series, unequal, lanceolate, margins ciliate, apices acute.
in 2–3 series, ovate, strongly unequal, outer somewhat keeled, firm, margins ciliate.
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.
50–250, densely crowded, often subglomerate, in secund paniculiform arrays, proximal branches few, widely spreading, secund, elongate, distal short, recurved.
(obconic) 1.1–1.5 mm, moderately strigose;
pappi 3.8–4 mm (slightly clavate).
1–2 mm, sparsely short-strigose;
pappi ca. 0.5 mm (forming many-bristled crown on longer cypselae).
= 18.
Solidago sempervirens
Solidago sphacelata
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.)
The vernacular name false goldenrod comes from the erroneous assignment of the species to the genus Brachychaeta rather than to Solidago, where it belongs.
(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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