Solidago speciosa |
Solidago curtisii |
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noble goldenrod, showy goldenrod |
Curtis' goldenrod, mountain decumbent goldenrod |
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Habit | Plants (30–)50–200 cm; caudices stout, woody. | Plants (20–)40–90(–100) cm; caudices woody. | ||||||||||||
Stems | 1(–5), erect, glabrous proximally to strigillose in arrays. |
1–4, erect, straight, glabrous or moderately hirtello-strigose. |
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Leaves | basal and proximal cauline (sometimes withering by flowering) tapering to winged petioles, blades lanceolate to ovate-elliptic, 50–300 (including petiole) × 12–80 mm (sometimes firm), margins sharply serrate to crenate or entire, faces glabrate to sparsely strigillose; mid to distal cauline sessile, blades narrowly ovate to lanceolate or elliptic, 25–90 × 5–30 mm, gradually reduced distally, margins serrulate to entire (distally), ciliate, faces glabrous or sparsely scabroso-strigose. |
basal withering by flowering; proximal to mid cauline weakly petiolate or sessile, blades lanceolate to elliptic, (36–)95–150(–180) × (10–)19–43(–60) mm, margins serrate (with (3–)8–20(–36) teeth), faces glabrous or sparsely hairy, more so along nerves; distal cauline sessile, blades narrowly lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, (5–)37–90(–130) × (3.5)5–18(–34) mm, margins entire to sparsely serrate (0–9(–14) teeth), faces glabrous or sparsely hairy, sometimes more pilose along nerves. |
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Peduncles | 1.5–3 mm, sparsely to moderately scabroso-strigillose; bracteoles linear, grading into phyllaries, scattered along peduncles, clustered near heads. |
2–6 mm, moderately to densely finely strigose; bracteoles 0–3, linear-oblong. |
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Involucres | narrowly campanulate, 4–6.5 mm. |
narrowly campanulate, (5–)5.6–7(–8) mm. |
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Ray florets | (2–)3–7(–9); laminae 3–4 × 0.5–1 mm. |
2–4(–6); laminae (2–)2.5–4(–4.6) × 1–2 mm. |
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Disc florets | 6–16; corollas 2.5–4 mm, lobes 0.5–1.2 mm. |
3–7(–9); corollas mostly 2–3 mm, lobes 1–1.7(–2.4) mm. |
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Phyllaries | in 3–4 series, appressed, strongly unequal, outer ovate, mid and inner lanceolate, (midnerves often raised and thick) apices acute to obtuse or rounded, glabrous. |
in 3–4 series, strongly unequal, outermost 1–1.4(–2) mm, innermost (2.5–)3–4(–4.4) mm, obtuse to acute, 1-nerved. |
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Heads | 15–300+, not secund, in usually dense, sometimes open, elongate, paniculiform to thyrsiform arrays, (5–)10–45 × (2–)3–7(–12) cm; branches strongly ascending, often racemiform. |
20–800 in short axillary and terminal racemiform/paniculiform, non-secund arrays (2–)8.5–38.5(–65) cm. |
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Cypselae | (narrowly obconic) 1.6–2.5 mm, glabrous; pappi 3–4.5 mm. |
1–2(–3) mm, sparsely to moderately strigose; pappi (2–)2.7–3.6(–4.5) mm. |
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Solidago speciosa |
Solidago curtisii |
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Distribution |
AL; AR; CO; CT; DE; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; ND; NE; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OK; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; WY; ON
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AL; GA; KY; MS; NC; SC; TN; VA; WV
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Discussion | Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora). Solidago speciosa occurs scattered throughout its range, often in small populations. Five races have been acknowledged; only three varieties appear to warrant recognition. The species is divided into two nearly allopatric subspecies. The typical subspecies includes two varieties that are sometimes difficult to distinguish and considerably overlap in their ranges. The differences in size and number of leaves and persistence of the proximal cauline leaves may be caused in part by growing conditions. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora). Solidago curtisii is similar to S. caesia and may be confused with robust, pressed and dried specimens of the latter if they are mounted such that the arching habit cannot be observed. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 20, p. 123. | FNA vol. 20, p. 126. | ||||||||||||
Parent taxa | Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Solidago > sect. Solidago > subsect. Squarrosae | Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Solidago > sect. Solidago > subsect. Glomeruliflorae | ||||||||||||
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Subordinate taxa | ||||||||||||||
Synonyms | Aster speciosus | S. ambigua var. curtisii, S. caesia var. curtisii | ||||||||||||
Name authority | Nuttall: Gen. N. Amer. Pl. 2: 160. (1818) | Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 2: 200. (1842) | ||||||||||||
Web links |