Solidago rugosa (Rough-stemmed goldenrod)

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Solidago rugosa Mill.

Rough-stemmed goldenrod, wrinkleleaf goldenrod

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Asterales	Flowering plants with a central disk flower and surrounding petals, like daisies
Family	Asteraceae	The aster family, which also includes daisies and sunflowers; from the Greek ἀστήρ, “star,” for the star-shaped flowers
Genus	Solidago	From Latin solido, “to make whole or heal,” because it was believed these species had healing properties
Species	rugosa	"Wrinkled or folded" (from Stearn's Botanical Latin)

About plant names...

Rough-stemmed goldenrods are natives of North America. For a comparison chart of some of the varieties of goldenrods, see Solidago.

Identification: Plants are up to 5′ (1.5 m) tall. Rough-stemmed goldenrods are named for their hairy, rough stems, which are light green to brownish red. Plants lack the [Glossary("rosette" of leaves)] that are at the base of many goldenrods. Leaves are narrow closer to the base of the plant, widening and becoming more oval-shaped toward the top, and usually quite wrinkled in appearance (the species name, rugosa, means "having a rough, wrinkled surface). They are up to 2½″ (7 cm) × ¾″ (2 cm), and attach directly to the stem ("sessile"). Flowers are a pyramid-shaped group of panicles at the top of the plant, with multiple flowering branches of upward-pointing flowers. (Younger plants may have only a single spike.) Flowers are bright yellow, about ¼″ (6.3 mm) around, with a small yellow disk surrounded by 5-10 rays. Flowers appear from July to October.

Edibility: Not edible.

Medical: Although goldenrod is popularly blamed by many hay fever sufferers, the real culprit is ragweed.

Online References:

Ontario Wildflowers

Missouriplants.com

Illinois Wildflowers

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

EFloras

References:

Newcomb, Lawrence, Morrison, Gordon (Illus.), Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide, Little, Brown and Company, 1977, p. 448

Peterson, Roger Tory, McKenny, Margaret, Peterson Field Guides: Wildflowers—Northeastern and North Central North America, Houghton Mifflin, 1968, p. 192

Thierer, John W., Niering, William A, Olmstead, Nancy C., National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers, Eastern Region, Alfred A. Knopf, 2001, p. 323, 416, 417

Brandenburg, David M., National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Wildflowers of North America, Andrew Stuart Publishing, Inc., 2010, p. 135

9/2/2023 · Boundary Trail, Bradbury Mountain, Pownal, Maine · ≈ 6 × 10″ (16 × 24 cm)

9/11/2012 · Mt. Watatic, Ashburnham, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (11 × 17 cm)

8/4/2009 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 11 × 8″ (28 × 19 cm) ID is uncertain

9/11/2012 · Mt. Watatic, Ashburnham, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 15 cm)

9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 11″ (18 × 27 cm) ID is uncertain

8/4/2007 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts ID is uncertain

9/11/2012 · Mt. Watatic, Ashburnham, Massachusetts · ≈ 11 × 7″ (27 × 18 cm)

9/2/2023 · Boundary Trail, Bradbury Mountain, Pownal, Maine · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 20 cm)

Solidago rugosa description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 10 Sep 2023.

9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 9.2 cm) ID is uncertain

9/2/2023 · Boundary Trail, Bradbury Mountain, Pownal, Maine · ≈ 6 × 10″ (16 × 24 cm)

9/11/2012 · Mt. Watatic, Ashburnham, Massachusetts · ≈ 11 × 7″ (27 × 18 cm)

Stem close-up · 9/20/2009 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 6 × 9″ (15 × 23 cm)

8/7/2009 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) ID is uncertain

7/28/2009 · Tom & Susan’s House, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 13 cm) ID is uncertain

8/4/2009 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 9.3 cm) ID is uncertain

9/2/2023 · Boundary Trail, Bradbury Mountain, Pownal, Maine · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 20 cm)

8/7/2009 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 14 × 9″ (35 × 23 cm) ID is uncertain

9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 12″ (20 × 31 cm) ID is uncertain

Range:

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