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alpine goldenrod, dune goldenrod, Mt. Albert goldenrod, Rand's goldenrod, spikelike goldenrod, sticky goldenrod

California goldenrod, three-nerve goldenrod, velvety goldenrod

Habit Plants 5–80 cm; caudices branching. Plants (forming diffuse clones) 15–80 (–150) cm; rhizomes creeping, slender.
Stems

1–10+, ascending to erect, proximally glabrous, strigose in arrays.

1 (at ends of rhizomes), ascending to erect, glabrate proximally to sparsely to densely strigoso-puberulent distally.

Leaves

basal and proximal cauline petiolate, blades narrowly oblanceolate, (20–)50–100(–160) × (2–)5–16(–56) mm, margins serrate to crenate, apices acute to obtuse, glabrous;

mid and distal sessile, similar, blades lanceolate to linear, 12–45 × 2–19 mm, reduced distally, margins entire to sparsely serrate, sometimes resinous.

basal and proximal cauline often persisting to flowering, gradually tapering to winged petioles, blades linear oblanceolate to oblanceolate, rarely spatulate, 50–120 × 8–30 mm, proximalmost much smaller, margins entire to sharply serrate, faces glabrate to moderately scabroso-strigose;

mid and distal cauline sessile or subsessille, blades elliptic to oblanceolate or obovate, 10–50 × 3–12 mm, mid tapering to bases, somewhat to strongly 3-nerved, largest, usually much reduced distally, margins entire or sometimes distally serrate, apices acute, faces sparsely to densely strigoso-puberulent, sometimes softly so.

Peduncles

3.1–10.3 mm, glabrate to sparsely strigillose;

bracteoles few, linear.

1–6 mm, sparsely to densely strigillose;

bracteoles 0–5, sometimes clustered near to and grading into phyllaries, linear-lanceolate.

Involucres

campanulate, 3–7 mm.

campanulate, 3.5–6 mm.

Ray florets

7–16;

laminae 2–5 × 0.7–0.9 mm.

6–12;

laminae 2.9–6.3 × 0.3–0.7(–1) mm.

Disc florets

6–31;

corollas 4–4.9 mm, lobes 0.6–1.3(–2) mm.

5–17;

corollas 3.5–6 mm, lobes 0.8–1.7 mm.

Phyllaries

(in 3–4 series) strongly unequal, often resinous;

outer ovate, acute, inner linear-oblong, obtuse.

in 3–5 series, lanceolate to oblong, strongly unequal, acute or sometimes obtuse, glabrous or sparsely strigillose.

Heads

3–150, not secund, in narrowly elongate, paniculiform arrays, broadly so in robust plants (12.5–19 × 2.5–3 cm wide), consisting of short axillary and terminal racemiform clusters, proximal branches elongate in larger plants, branches glabrate to strigillose.

(2–)30–500, in narrow to broad, thyrsiform to secund-pyramidal paniculiform arrays, branches recurved, secund, congested to lax.

Cypselae

narrowly obconic, 1.9–3.2 mm, sometimes with dark ridges, strigillose;

pappi 1.9–5.2 mm (bristles sometimes clavate).

0.7–2.7 mm, sparsely to densely strigillose;

pappi 2.5–4.7 mm.

Solidago simplex

Solidago velutina

Distribution
from FNA
AK; AZ; CO; ID; IN; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MT; ND; NH; NM; NY; OR; PA; SD; UT; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NT; ON; QC; SK; YT; Mexico
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[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; NM; NV; OR; TX; WY; Mexico
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 7 (7 in the flora).

The somewhat viscid-resinous heads of Solidago simplex are its most distinctive feature, separating it from similar sympatric species. G. S. Ringius (1985) did a detailed multivariate analysis of the S. spathulata/S. simplex complex (the latter under the name S. glutinosa). The cytogeography of the species complex was presented by Ringius and J. C. Semple (1987). Neither study included data on the next three species occurring in the southeastern United States.

The species is divided into two subspecies and seven varieties following G. S Ringius (1985) and J. C. Semple et al. (1999). Three varieties occur in the diploid transcontinental subsp. simplex: var. simplex, var. nana, and var. chlorolepis. Four varieties occur in the eastern North American tetraploid-hexaploid subsp. randii: var. monticola, var. gillmanii, var. ontarioensis, and var. racemosa. Except for var. simplex, varieties are restricted to different habitats in relatively limited ranges.

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

Subspecies 3 (2 in the flora).

G. L. Nesom (1993b) merged Solidago californica, S. sparsiflora, and S. velutina without recognizing any infraspecific taxa, as did A. Cronquist (1994). J. C. Semple et al. (1990) compared S. californica and S. sparsiflora to S. nemoralis and found that all three are significantly different in a multivariate analysis. Evidence for separating the two subspecies of S. nemoralis was greater than the support for separating S. californica and S. sparsiflora.

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

Key
1. Basal and cauline leaves spatulate to orbiculate, apices obtuse to rounded; cypselae moderately to densely strigose (S. simplex subsp. simplex)
→ 2
1. Basal and cauline leaves spatulate to obovate, apices usually acute; cypselae sparsely to moderately strigose (S. simplex subsp. randii)
→ 5
2. Cauline leaves 5–16 (longest 60+ mm); w North America, disjunct along shores of upper Great Lakes and in s Quebec
var. simplex
2. Cauline leaves 2–7 (longest to 60 mm); alpine slopes, w North America, Mt. Albert, Gaspé, Quebec
→ 3
3. Shortest phyllaries 1.4–2 mm; disc corollas 3.9–4.2 mm; serpentine soils, Mt. Albert, Gaspé, Quebec
var. chlorolepis
3. Shortest phyllaries 2.1–3.1 mm; disc corollas 4.2–5.4 mm; alpine slopes, Rocky Mountains, Cascade Mountains, Vancouver Island.
→ 4
4. Basal leaves usually spatulate, rarely broadly elliptic, proximal blades gradually attenuated to winged petioles, margins weakly crenate; alpine slopes, Rocky Mountains
var. simplex
4. Basal leaves orbiculate to broadly elliptic, proximal blades abruptly attenuated to winged petioles, margins distinctly crenate; alpine slopes of Cascade Mountains, Vancouver Island
var. nana
5. Proximal cauline leaves spatulate to obovate, (5–)10–42 mm wide; leaf margins often sharply serrate
→ 6
5. Proximal cauline leaves lanceolate to narrowly spatulate, 2–10(–21.5) mm wide; leaf margins entire or dentate, rarely serrate
→ 7
6. Plants (10–)18–53(–83) cm, arrays tending to be compact, virgate; proximal cauline leaves (5–)10–22(–31) mm wide, margins crenate to serrate; barren, rocky, non-alpine uplands; se Quebec, New England, New York
var. monticola
6. Plants (20–)38–73(–84) cm, robust, arrays tending to be paniculiform; proximal cauline leaves (6–)7.5–24(–42) mm wide, margins often sharply serrate; sand dunes, Lake Michigan, n Lake Huron
var. gillmanii
7. Cauline leaves (3–)12–33(–58); peduncle bracteoles 2+; calcareous rocky riverbanks, e Quebec s to West Virginia and Maryland
var. racemosa
7. Cauline leaves (2–)4–13(–24); peduncle bracteoles 1–3(–4); rocky shores, Lake Superior, n Lake Huron
var. ontarioensis
1. Stems and leaves sparsely strigillose; outer phyllaries glabrate; Wyoming to e California, s to Arizona and New Mexico, Mexico
subsp. sparsiflora
1. Stems and leaves moderately to densely strigillose; outer phyllaries sparsely strigillose; California and s Oregon
subsp. californica
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 113. FNA vol. 20, p. 160.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Solidago > sect. Solidago > subsect. Humiles Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Solidago > sect. Solidago > subsect. Nemorales
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. riddellii, S. rigida, S. roanensis, S. rugosa, S. rupestris, S. sciaphila, S. sempervirens, S. shortii, 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. verna, S. villosicarpa, S. wrightii
Subordinate taxa
S. simplex var. chlorolepis, S. simplex var. gillmanii, S. simplex var. monticola, S. simplex var. nana, S. simplex var. ontarioensis, S. simplex var. racemosa, S. simplex var. simplex
S. velutina subsp. californica, S. velutina subsp. sparsiflora
Synonyms Aster velutinus
Name authority Kunth: in A. von Humboldt et al., Nov. Gen. Sp. 4(fol.): 81. (1818) de Candolle: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 5: 332. (1836)
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