Goldenrod

Asteraceae

LIFE FORM: Perennial

NATIVITY: North America

VEGETATIVE CHARACTERISTICS:

An erect, leafy plant that can grow up to 4 or 5 feet tall; alternate, lanceolate leaves become smaller as one moves up the stem.

FLOWERS:

Conspicuous heads of yellow flowers bloom from August through October; sticky pollen is spread by insects.

FRUIT/DISPERSAL AGENTS:

Spready by wind-dispersed seeds and rhizomes that produce dense clusters of stems.

ECOLOGICAL PREFERENCE:

Prefers well-drained soil and full sun; neglected residential and commercial landscapes; minimally maintained public parks and open space; vacant lots and rubble dump sites; abandoned grasslands (meadows); unmowed highway banks and median strips with frequent salt applications; railroad tracks with ballast substrate.

ENVIRONMENTAL FUNCTION:

Disturbance-adapted colonizer.

CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE:

This conspicuous plant often gets blamed for allergies caused by wind pollinated ragweed, which blooms at the same time; native Americans used all parts of the plant as medicine.