Solidago virgata St.-Lag.
Wand goldenrod
Wand goldenrod is native to parts of the southeastern United States, Cuba, and parts of Central America. This species was previously thought to be Solidago stricta.
Plants: 1–4′ (30–121 cm) in height, on erect stems.
Leaves: Basal leaves are oblanceolate to elliptic in shape, sometimes with mild serrations, thick, glabrous, with winged petioles. Upper leaves rapidly become smaller. They are lanceolate to linear, smooth-edges, and sessile. They are appressed—lying flat against the stem.
Flowers: Flowerheads are up to 1½′ (50 cm) long, but only 1–1¾″ (3–5 cm) around. Each composite flower contains 3-7 yellow ray florets and 8-12 disc florets. They appear from late August to October.
Fruits: A hairy achene with a crown of pappus.
Habitats: Pine savannahs, marshes, and bogs of the coastal plain.
Online References:
4/15/2015 · Florida 
4/11/2015 · Loop Road, Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida 
4/15/2015 · Florida 
4/11/2015 · Loop Road, Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| 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 | virgata | Wand-like, twiggy in growth, referring to the tall, bare stems |
Solidago virgata description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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