Solidago Vossii
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''Solidago'', commonly called goldenrods, is a genus of about 100 to 120''Solidago''.
Flora of China.
species of
flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...
s in the family
Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...
. Most are herbaceous
perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...
species found in open areas such as meadows, prairies, and savannas. They are mostly native to
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
, including Mexico; a few species are native to South America and Eurasia. Some American species have also been introduced into
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
and other parts of the world.


Description

''Solidago'' species are perennials growing from woody caudices or
rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and Shoot (botany), shoots from its Node (botany), nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from ...
s. Their stems range from
decumbent This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary ...
(crawling) to ascending or erect, with a range of heights going from to over a meter. Most species are unbranched, but some do display branching in the upper part of the plant. Both leaves and stems vary from
glabrous Glabrousness () is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes, or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of a plant or animal, or be due to loss because of a physical condition, ...
(hairless) to various forms of
pubescence Puberty is the process of physical changes through which a child's Human body, body matures into an adult body capable of sexual reproduction. It is initiated by hormone, hormonal signals from the Human brain, brain to the gonads: the ovary ...
(strigose, strigillose, hispid, stipitate-glandular or villous). In some species, the basal leaves are shed before flowering. The
leaf margin A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the plant stem, stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leav ...
s are most commonly entire, but often display heavier
serration Serration is a saw-like appearance or a row of sharp or tooth-like projections. A serrated cutting edge has many small points of contact with the material being cut. By having less contact area than a smooth blade or other edge, the applied pr ...
. Some leaves may display trinerved
venation Venation may refer to: * Venation (botany), the arrangement of veins in leaves * Wing venation, the arrangement of veins in insect wings See also * * Vernation Vernation or leafing is the formation of new leaves or fronds. In plant anatomy, it ...
rather than the pinnate venation usual across Asteraceae. The flower heads are usually of the radiate type (typical daisy flower heads with distinct ray and disc
floret This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary ...
s) but sometimes discoid (with only disc florets of mixed, sterile, male and types). Only ray florets are female, others are male, hermaphroditic or entire sterile. Head involucres are campanulate to cylindric or attenuate.
Floret This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary ...
corollas are usually yellow, but white in the ray florets of a few species (such as '' Solidago bicolor''); they are typically hairless. Heads usually include between 2 and 35 disc florets, but in some species this may go up to 60. Filaments are inserted closer to the base of the corolla than its middle. Numerous heads are usually grouped in complex compound inflorescences where heads are arranged in multiple
raceme A raceme () or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate growth, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are ...
s,
panicle In botany, a panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a p ...
s,
corymb Corymb is a botanical term for an inflorescence with the flowers growing in such a fashion that the outermost are borne on longer pedicels than the inner, bringing all flowers up to a common level. A corymb has a flattish top with a superficial re ...
s, or secund arrays (with florets all on the same side). ''Solidago'' cypselae are narrowly
obconic In botany, an obconic is an inverted cone shape. The term is most frequently applied to certain fruit or hypanthium structures with the apical end attached to the stem; however, less frequently the usage may apply to the pistil structure. In the ca ...
to cylindrical in shape, and they are sometimes somewhat compressed. They have eight to 10 ribs usually and are hairless or moderately hispid. The pappus is very big with barbellate bristles. The many goldenrod species can be difficult to distinguish, due to their similar bright, golden-yellow flower heads that bloom in late summer. Propagation is by wind-disseminated
seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...
s or by spreading underground
rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and Shoot (botany), shoots from its Node (botany), nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from ...
s which can form colonies of vegetative clones of a single plant. They are mostly short-day plants and bloom in late summer and early fall. Some species produce abundant nectar when moisture is plentiful, or when the weather is warm and sunny. The section '' Ptarmicoidei'' is sometimes treated as a separate genus ''Oligoneuron'', and is dropped by flat-topped to rounded corymbiform flowerheads.


Taxonomy

''Solidago'' is in the family Asteraceae (formerly known as Compositae), a diverse and widespread clade containing approximately 23,000 species and 12 tribes, which inhabit all continents except Antarctica. Within Asteraceae, ''Solidago'' is in the tribe Astereae and the subtribe Solidagininaeae. The genus ''Solidago'' is monophyletic as indicated by morphological characters and molecular evidence. All ''Solidago'' species are herbaceous perennials, growing from approximately 2 cm to 2.5 m tall. Yellow to white, pistillate ray flowers and yellow, perfect disc florets are characteristic of ''Solidago'' inflorescences, which have a wide range of shapes. Molecular studies using nuclear rDNA have hypothesized boundaries on the genus ''Solidago'', but there have been difficulties in parsing out evolutionary relationships at the sub-genus scale and defining which should be included and separated from ''Solidago''.


''Solidago'' and related taxa

Related Asteraceae genera, such as '' Chrysoma'', '' Euthamia'', and '' Oreochrysum'', have been included within ''Solidago'' at one point or another, but morphological evidence has suggested otherwise. In a study comparing morphological characters of ''Solidago'' and related subgroups, the authors consider the subjectivity of classifying a genus and how to define it within broader tendencies concerning the taxonomy of North American Asteraceae. Little to no differences were observed between ''Solidago'' and the subgroups in terms of karyotype. However, external morphological characters such as habit, or the general appearance of the plant and how a suite of traits contribute to its phenotype; pappus size; and the point of freeing of stamen filaments from the corolla tube, are useful classification schemes for ''Solidago'', since they are applied to differentiating between Asteraceae taxa. One school of Asteraceae taxonomy thought unites all taxa sharing similar floral head structure and subsequently ignores deviation from this morphology, while another places greater weight on these morphological deviations. The authors argue that the latter opinion should be applied. Since there is no theoretical foundation for relative taxonomic importance of traits, they assert that habit should be a central trait when defining taxa, and subsequently that all the subgroups considered in their study ('' Brachychaeta'', ''Chrysoma'', ''Euthamia'', ''Oligoneuron'', and '' Petradoria'') should be segregated from ''Solidago''. Results from a leaf anatomy study comparing differences in mesophyll,
bundle sheath A vascular bundle is a part of the transport system in vascular plants. The transport itself happens in the Plant stem, stem, which exists in two forms: xylem and phloem. Both these tissues are present in a vascular bundle, which in addition ...
extensions, and midvein structure, among others in a suite of leaf traits, are incongruent with those in an earlier study. Based on the lack of bundle sheath extensions, it is suggested that ''Chrysoma'', ''Euthamia'', '' Gundlachia'', and ''Petradoria'' should be distinct taxa and outside of ''Solidago''. However, ''Brachychaeta'', '' Brintonia'', ''Oligoneuron'', ''Oreochrysum'', and ''Aster ptarmicoides'' should be considered as components of ''Solidago''. To summarize, the relation of ''Brachychaeta'' and ''Oligoneuron'' to ''Solidago'' is inconsistent based on these results. Both support the separation of ''Chrysoma'', ''Euthamia'', and ''Petradoria'' from ''Solidago''. A study reviews the taxonomic position of ''Oligoneuron'' relative to ''Solidago'', as based on taxonomic evidence, treats it as separate from ''Solidago'', similarly to Kapoor & Beaudry (1966). The first molecular phylogeny based on chloroplast DNA treats ''Brachychaeta'', ''Brintonia'', ''Oligoneuron'', and ''Oreochrysum'' as constituents of ''Solidago''. Using consensus trees from ITS data, another study found support for ''Oligoneuron'' as part of ''Solidago'', and the findings of Zhang (1996). More recently, an analysis of combined ITS and ETS data provided additional support for the inclusion of ''Oligoneuron'' as part of ''Solidago''. Until the 1980s, the genus ''Euthamia'' was largely considered to be a part of ''Solidago'' due to morphological similarities between species in both genera, and a history of synonymy of ''Solidago lanceolata'' and ''Euthamia graminifolia''. As mentioned, the lack of bundle sheath extensions in ''Euthamia'' compared to ''Solidago'', and deviations in floral morphology present evidence for separation of these taxa. A taxonomy of ''Euthamia'' as a genus was presented, providing a detailed description of distinguishing external morphological characters, such as fibrous-roots, sessile leaves, and mostly corymbiform inflorescences.


Evolutionary relationships within ''Solidago''

Chromosome counts and advances in molecular systematics have enabled greater understanding of evolutionary relationships within ''Solidago''. At the time a taxonomy of ''Solidago'' was published, related taxa causing contention, such as ''Chrysoma'', ''Euthamia'', ''Oligoneuron'', and ''Petradoria'', were excluded from this genus. The number of ''Solidago'' species has remained relatively stable, around 120, with approximately 80 in North America. Due to monophyletic support for the New World taxa and taxonomic difficulties with Old World taxa, the taxonomy provided in the 1990s only includes North American taxa and thus treats ''Solidago'' as non-monophyletic. Existing molecular-based phylogenies provide monophyletic support for ''Solidago'' given its inclusion of ''Oligoneuron''. Chromosome counts have proven to be a valuable character in ''Solidago'' taxonomy and in elucidating the cytogeographic history of the genus. Similar chromosome counts may indicate close evolutionary relationships, while different chromosome numbers may suggest distant relationships through reproductive isolation. Chromosome counts have been studied extensively in North America; all ''Solidago'' species have a base chromosome number of x=9, but the following ploidy levels have been observed: 2x, 3x, 4x, 6x, 8x, 10x, 12x, and 14x. Though negligible differences in karyotype among ''Solidago'' and related genera were found, ''Solidago'' taxa with multiple cytotypes are more common than those with one. Although chromosome count is a useful metric for differentiating among ''Solidago'' taxa, it may be problematic due to the frequent variation in ploidy levels. Cytogeographic patterns in the ''Solidago gigantea'' complex, with tetraploids occurring in eastern North America and hexaploids in Oregon and Washington, were observed. Cytogeographic patterns are also observed in the '' Solidago canadensis'' complex: hexaploids within ''S. canadensis'' have been observed east of the Great Plains and are treated as '' Solidago altissima'', and diploids and tetraploids occurring in the Great Plains are treated as ''Solidago gilvocanescens''. The taxonomic status of ''Solidago ptarmicoides'' created an extensive debate due to frequency hybridization of ''S. ptarmicoides'' with members of the ''Ptarmicoidei'' section of ''Solidago''. It was asserted that ''S. ptarmicoides'' should be united with ''Solidago'' rather than the genus ''Aster'' due to external morphological features such as similar pappus length as well as the same chromosome base (x=9). Information about chromosome number is still a crucial part of current understanding and phylogenies of ''Solidago''.


Ecology

Goldenrod is considered a
keystone species A keystone species is a species that has a disproportionately large effect on its natural environment relative to its abundance. The concept was introduced in 1969 by the zoologist Robert T. Paine. Keystone species play a critical role in main ...
, and has been called the single most important plant for North American pollinator biodiversity. Goldenrod species are used as a food source by the
larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...
e of many
Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...
species. As many as 104 species of butterflies and moths use it as a host plant for their larvae, and 42 species of bees are goldenrod specialists, visiting only goldenrod for food. Some lepidopteran larvae bore into plant tissues and form a bulbous tissue mass called a
gall Galls (from the Latin , 'oak-apple') or ''cecidia'' (from the Greek , anything gushing out) are a kind of swelling growth on the external tissues of plants. Plant galls are abnormal outgrowths of plant tissues, similar to benign tumors or war ...
around it, upon which the larva then feeds. Various
parasitoid wasp Parasitoid wasps are a large group of hymenopteran Superfamily (zoology), superfamilies, with all but the wood wasps (Orussoidea) being in the wasp-waisted Apocrita. As parasitoids, they lay their eggs on or in the bodies of other arthropods, ...
s find these galls and lay eggs in the larvae, penetrating the bulb with their
ovipositor The ovipositor is a tube-like organ used by some animals, especially insects, for the laying of eggs. In insects, an ovipositor consists of a maximum of three pairs of appendages. The details and morphology of the ovipositor vary, but typica ...
s. Woodpeckers are known to peck open the galls and eat the insects in the center. Goldenrods have become invasive species in many parts of the world outside their native range, including China, Japan, Europe and Africa. ''Solidago canadensis'', which was introduced as a garden plant in Central Europe, has become common in the wild, and in
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
is considered an
invasive species An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native spec ...
that displaces native vegetation from its natural habitat.


Use and cultivation

Young goldenrod leaves are edible. Traditionally, Native Americans use the seeds of some species for food.
Herbal tea Herbal teas, technically known as herbal infusions, and less commonly called tisanes (UK and US , US also ), are beverages made from the infusion or decoction of herbs, spices, or other plant material in hot water. Often herb tea, or the plai ...
s are sometimes made with goldenrod. Goldenrod often is inaccurately said to cause
hay fever Allergic rhinitis, of which the seasonal type is called hay fever, is a type of rhinitis, inflammation in the nose that occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. It is classified as a Allergy, type I hypersensitivity re ...
in humans. The pollen causing this allergic reaction is produced mainly by
ragweed Ragweeds are flowering plants in the genus ''Ambrosia'' in the aster family, Asteraceae. They are distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, especially North America,pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by most types of flowers of seed plants for the purpose of sexual reproduction. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced Gametophyte#Heterospory, microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm ...
is too heavy and sticky to be blown far from the flowers, and is pollinated mainly by insects. Frequent handling of goldenrod and other flowers, however, can cause allergic reactions, sometimes irritating enough to force
florists Floristry is the production, commerce, and trade in flowers. It encompasses flower care and handling, floral design and arrangement, merchandising, production, display and flower delivery. Wholesale florists sell bulk flowers and related s ...
to change occupation. Goldenrods are attractive sources of nectar for bees, flies, wasps, and butterflies.
Honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of pl ...
from goldenrods often is dark and strong because of admixtures of other nectars. However, when honey flow is strong, a light (often water-clear), spicy-tasting
monofloral honey Monofloral honey is a type of honey which has a distinctive flavor or other attribute due to its being predominantly from the nectar of a single plant species. It is stored and labeled separately so as to command a premium price. While there may ...
is produced. While the bees are ripening the honey produced from goldenrods, it has a rank odour and taste; the finished honey is much milder. Goldenrods are, in some places, considered a sign of good luck or good fortune. They are considered
weed A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, growing where it conflicts with human preferences, needs, or goals.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. Pla ...
s by many in North America, but they are seen as invasive plants in Europe, where British gardeners adopted goldenrod as a garden subject. Goldenrod began to gain some acceptance in U.S. gardening (other than wildflower gardening) during the 1980s.


Cultivated species

Cultivated goldenrods include '' S. bicolor'', '' S. caesia'', '' S. canadensis'', '' S. cutleri'', '' S. riddellii,'' '' S. rigida'', '' S. shortii'', and '' S. virgaurea''. A number of
cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...
s have been selected, including several of hybrid origin. A putative hybrid with aster, known as ×''Solidaster'' is less unruly, with pale yellow flowers, equally suitable for dried arrangements. Molecular and other evidence points to ×''Solidaster'' (at least the cultivar 'Lemore') being a hybrid of '' Solidago ptarmicoides'' and '' Solidago canadensis'', the former now in ''Solidago'', but likely the "aster" in question. The
cultivars A cultivar is a kind of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and which retains those traits when propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue cult ...
'Goldenmosa' and ''S.'' × ''luteus'' 'Lemore' have gained the
Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...
's
Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...
.


Industrial use

Inventor
Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February11, 1847October18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, ...
experimented with goldenrod to produce
rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Types of polyisoprene ...
, which it contains naturally. Edison created a fertilization and cultivation process to maximize the rubber content in each plant. His experiments produced a plant that yielded as much as 12% rubber, and the new variant was named ''Solidago edisoni'', also called ''Solidago edisoniana''. The tires on the
Model T The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by the Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first mass-affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. Th ...
given to him by his friend
Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American Technological and industrial history of the United States, industrialist and business magnate. As the founder of the Ford Motor Company, he is credited as a pioneer in making automob ...
were made from goldenrod. Like
George Washington Carver George Washington Carver ( 1864 – January 5, 1943) was an American Agricultural science, agricultural scientist and inventor who promoted alternative crops to cotton and methods to prevent soil depletion. He was one of the most prominent bla ...
,
Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American Technological and industrial history of the United States, industrialist and business magnate. As the founder of the Ford Motor Company, he is credited as a pioneer in making automob ...
was deeply interested in the regenerative properties of soil and the potential of alternative crops such as peanuts and soybeans to produce plastics, paint, fuel and other products. Ford had long believed that the world would eventually need a substitute for gasoline, and supported the production of ethanol (or grain alcohol) as an alternative fuel. In 1942, he would showcase a car with a lightweight plastic body made from soybeans. Ford and Carver began corresponding via letter in 1934, and their mutual admiration deepened after
George Washington Carver George Washington Carver ( 1864 – January 5, 1943) was an American Agricultural science, agricultural scientist and inventor who promoted alternative crops to cotton and methods to prevent soil depletion. He was one of the most prominent bla ...
made a visit to Michigan in 1937. As
Douglas Brinkley Douglas Brinkley (born December 14, 1960) is an American author, Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities, and professor of history at Rice University. Brinkley is a history commentator for CNN, Presidential Historian for the New York Historica ...
writes in ''Wheels for the World'', his history of Ford, the automaker donated generously to the Tuskegee Institute, helping finance Carver's experiments, and Carver in turn spent a period of time helping to oversee crops at the Ford plantation in Ways, Georgia. By the time World War II began, Ford had made repeated journeys to Tuskegee to convince
George Washington Carver George Washington Carver ( 1864 – January 5, 1943) was an American Agricultural science, agricultural scientist and inventor who promoted alternative crops to cotton and methods to prevent soil depletion. He was one of the most prominent bla ...
to come to Dearborn and help him develop a synthetic rubber to help compensate for wartime rubber shortages. Carver arrived on July 19, 1942, and set up a laboratory in an old water works building in Dearborn. He and Ford experimented with different crops, including sweet potatoes and dandelions, eventually devising a way to make the rubber substitute from goldenrod, a plant weed commercially viable. Carver died in January 1943, Ford in April 1947, but the relationship between their two institutions continued to flourish: As recently as the late 1990s, Ford awarded grants of $4 million over two years to the George Washington Carver School at Tuskegee. Extensive process development was conducted during World War II to commercialize goldenrod as a source of rubber. The rubber is only contained in the leaves, not the stems or blooms. Typical rubber content of the leaves is 7%. The resulting rubber is of low
molecular weight A molecule is a group of two or more atoms that are held together by Force, attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions that satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemi ...
, resulting in an excessively tacky compound with poor tensile properties.


Traditional medicine

'' Solidago virgaurea'' is used in a traditional kidney tonic by practitioners of
herbal medicine Herbal medicine (also called herbalism, phytomedicine or phytotherapy) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. Scientific evidence for the effectiveness of many herbal treatments ...
to counter inflammation and irritation caused by bacterial infections or
kidney stone Kidney stone disease (known as nephrolithiasis, renal calculus disease, or urolithiasis) is a crystallopathy and occurs when there are too many minerals in the urine and not enough liquid or hydration. This imbalance causes tiny pieces of cr ...
s.Campion, K. (1995). ''Holistic Woman's Herbal – How to Achieve Health and Well-Being at Any Age''. Barnes & Noble, Inc. 1995. pp. 65, 96. Goldenrod is also used in some formulas for cleansing of the kidney or bladder during a healing fast, in conjunction with potassium broth and specific juices. Some Native American cultures traditionally chew the leaves to relieve sore throats, and the roots to relieve toothaches.


Medicinal exploration

In various assessments by the European Medicines Agency with respect to '' Solidago virgaurea'', non-clinical data shows diuretic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, analgesic and spasmolytic, antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer and immunomodulatory activity. However, as no single ingredient is responsible for these effects, the whole herbal preparation of ''Solidago'' inflorescences must be considered as the active ingredient.


Cultural significance

The goldenrod is the state flower of the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
s of
Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
(adopted 1926) and
Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...
(adopted 1895). ''Solidago altissima'', tall goldenrod, was named the state wildflower of
South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
in 2003. The sweet goldenrod (''Solidago odora'') is the state herb of
Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...
. Goldenrod was the state flower of
Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
, but it was later rejected in favor of the
camellia ''Camellia'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in tropical and subtropical areas in East Asia, eastern and South Asia, southern Asia, from the Himalayas east to Japan and Indonesia. There are ...
.


Diversity


Accepted species

SourceThe Plant List, search for ''Solidago''
/ref> *'' Solidago albopilosa'' E.L.Braun – whitehair goldenrod *'' Solidago altiplanities'' C.E.S. Taylor & R.J.Taylor – high plains goldenrod *'' Solidago altissima'' L. – Canada goldenrod, late goldenrod *'' Solidago amplexicaulis'' Torr. & A.Gray *'' Solidago arenicola'' B.R. Keener & Kral – southern racemose goldenrod *'' Solidago argentinensis'' López Laphitz, Rita María & Semple *'' Solidago arguta'' Ait. – Atlantic goldenrod, forest goldenrod, toothed goldenrod, cut-leaf goldenrod *'' Solidago aurea'' Spreng. *'' Solidago auriculata'' Shuttlw. ex Blake – eared goldenrod, clasping goldenrod *'' Solidago bartramiana'' Fernald *'' Solidago bicolor'' L. – white goldenrod, silverrod *'' Solidago brachyphylla'' Chapman – Dixie goldenrod *'' Solidago brendiae'' Semple *'' Solidago buckleyi'' Torr. & Gray – Buckley's goldenrod *'' Solidago caesia'' L. – wreath goldenrod, axillary goldenrod, bluestem goldenrod, woodland goldenrod *'' Solidago calcicola'' (Fernald) Fernald *'' Solidago californica'' Nutt. - California goldenrod *'' Solidago canadensis'' L. – Canada goldenrod, Canadian goldenrod, common goldenrod *'' Solidago capulinensis'' Cockerell & Andrews L. – Capulin goldenrod *'' Solidago chilensis'' Meyen *'' Solidago compacta'' Turcz. *'' Solidago confinis'' A.Gray *'' Solidago coreana'' (Nakai) H.S.Pak *'' Solidago correllii'' Semple L. – Guadalupe Mountains goldenrod *'' Solidago curtisii'' Torr. & A.Gray – mountain decumbent goldenrod, Curtis' goldenrod *'' Solidago dahurica'' (Kitagawa) Kitagawa ex Juzepczuk *'' Solidago decurrens'' Loureiro *'' Solidago delicatula'' Small – elmleaf goldenrod, smooth elm-leaf goldenrod *'' Solidago drummondii'' Torr. & A.Gray. – Drummond's goldenrod *'' Solidago durangensis'' G.L.Nesom *'' Solidago elongata'' Nutt. – West Coast Canada goldenrod, Cascade Canada goldenrod *'' Solidago erecta'' Nutt. – showy goldenrod, slender goldenrod *'' Solidago ericamerioides'' G.L.Nesom *'' Solidago faucibus'' Wieboldt – gorge goldenrod *'' Solidago fistulosa'' P.Mill. – pine-barren goldenrod *'' Solidago flexicaulis'' L. – zigzag goldenrod, broadleaf goldenrod *'' Solidago gattingeri'' Chapman – Gattinger's goldenrod *'' Solidago gigantea'' Ait. – giant goldenrod, tall goldenrod, early goldenrod, smooth goldenrod *'' Solidago glabra'' Desf. *'' Solidago glomerata'' Michx. – clustered goldenrod, skunk goldenrod *'' Solidago guiradonis'' A.Gray – Guirado's goldenrod *'' Solidago gypsophila'' G.L.Nesom *'' Solidago hintoniorum'' G.L.Nesom *'' Solidago hispida'' Muhl. ex Willd. – hairy goldenrod *'' Solidago houghtonii'' Torr. & A.Gray ex A.Gray – Houghton's goldenrod *'' Solidago humilis'' Mill. *'' Solidago inornata'' Lunell *'' Solidago juliae'' G.L.Nesom – Julia's goldenrod *'' Solidago juncea'' Ait. – early goldenrod *'' Solidago kralii'' Semple – Kral's goldenrod *'' Solidago kuhistanica'' Juz. *'' Solidago kurilensis'' Juz. *'' Solidago lancifolia'' Torr. & A.Gray – lance-leaf goldenrod *'' Solidago latissimifolia'' P.Mill. – Elliott's goldenrod *'' Solidago leavenworthii'' Torr. & A.Gray – Leavenworth's goldenrod *'' Solidago leiocarpa'' DC. in DC. &. A.DC. – Cutler's alpine goldenrod *'' Solidago lepida'' DC. – western Canada goldenrod *'' Solidago ludoviciana'' (Gray) Small – Louisiana goldenrod *'' Solidago macrophylla'' Pursh – largeleaf goldenrod *'' Solidago macvaughii'' G.L.Nesom *'' Solidago microglossa'' DC. *'' Solidago minutissima'' (Makino) Kitam. *'' Solidago missouriensis'' Nutt. – Missouri goldenrod, prairie goldenrod, Tolmie's goldenrod *'' Solidago mollis'' Bartl. – velvety goldenrod, soft goldenrod, woolly goldenrod *'' Solidago multiradiata'' Ait. – Rocky Mountain goldenrod, alpine goldenrod, northern goldenrod, manyray goldenrod *'' Solidago nana'' Nutt. – baby goldenrod, dwarf goldenrod, gray goldenrod *'' Solidago nemoralis'' Ait. – gray goldenrod, dyersweed goldenrod, old-field goldenrod *'' Solidago nitida'' Torr. & A.Gray – shiny goldenrod *'' Solidago odora'' Ait. – anise-scented goldenrod, sweet goldenrod, fragrant goldenrod *'' Solidago ohioensis'' Riddell – Ohio goldenrod *'' Solidago orientalis'' G.L.Nesom *'' Solidago ouachitensis'' C.E.S.Taylor & R.J.Taylor – Ouachita Mountains goldenrod *'' Solidago ovata'' Friesner *'' Solidago pacifica'' Juzepczuk *'' Solidago paniculata'' DC. *'' Solidago patagonica'' Phil. *'' Solidago patula'' Muhl. ex Willd. – roundleaf goldenrod, roughleaf goldenrod *'' Solidago petiolaris'' Ait. – downy ragged goldenrod *'' Solidago perornata'' Lunell *'' Solidago pilosa'' Mill. *'' Solidago pinetorum'' Small – Small's goldenrod *'' Solidago plumosa'' Small – plumed goldenrod, plumose goldenrod, Yadkin River goldenrod *'' Solidago pringlei'' Fernald *'' Solidago procera'' Aiton *'' Solidago ptarmicoides'' (Torr. & A.Gray) B.Boivin – white flat-top goldenrod, upland white aster *'' Solidago puberula'' Nutt. – downy goldenrod *'' Solidago pulchra'' Small – Carolina goldenrod *'' Solidago radula'' Nutt. – western rough goldenrod *'' Solidago riddellii'' Frank ex Riddell – Riddell's goldenrod *''
Solidago rigida ''Solidago rigida'', known by the common names stiff goldenrod and stiff-leaved goldenrod, is a North American plant species in the family Asteraceae. It has a widespread distribution in Canada and the United States, where it is found primarily e ...
'' L. – rigid goldenrod, stiff-leaf goldenrod *'' Solidago roanensis'' Porter – Roan Mountain goldenrod *'' Solidago rugosa'' P.Mill. – wrinkleleaf goldenrod, rough-stemmed goldenrod *'' Solidago rupestris'' Raf. – rock goldenrod *'' Solidago satanica'' Lunell *'' Solidago sciaphila'' Steele – shadowy goldenrod *'' Solidago sempervirens'' L. – seaside goldenrod, salt-marsh goldenrod *'' Solidago serotina'' Retz. *'' Solidago shortii'' Torr. & A.Gray – Short's goldenrod *'' Solidago simplex'' Kunth : Mt. Albert goldenrod, sticky goldenrod *'' Solidago spathulata'' DC. – coast goldenrod *'' Solidago speciosa'' Nutt. – showy goldenrod, noble goldenrod *'' Solidago spectabilis'' (D.C.Eat.) A.Gray – Nevada goldenrod, basin goldenrod *'' Solidago sphacelata'' Raf. – autumn goldenrod, false goldenrod *'' Solidago spithamaea'' M.A.Curtis – Blue Ridge goldenrod, skunk goldenrod *'' Solidago spiraeifolia'' Fisch. ex Herder *'' Solidago squarrosa'' Nutt. – stout goldenrod *'' Solidago stricta'' Ait. – wand goldenrod, willow-leaf goldenrod *'' Solidago tarda'' Mack. – Atlantic goldenrod *'' Solidago tortifolia'' Ell. – twistleaf goldenrod *'' Solidago uliginosa'' Nutt. – bog goldenrod, fall goldenrod *'' Solidago ulmifolia'' Muhl. ex Willd. – elmleaf goldenrod *'' Solidago velutina'' DC. – threenerve goldenrod, velvety goldenrod *'' Solidago verna'' M.A.Curtis – springflowering goldenrod *'' Solidago villosicarpa'' LeBlond – glandular wand goldenrod, hairy-seed goldenrod *'' Solidago virgaurea'' L. – European goldenrod *'' Solidago vossii'' J.S.Pringle & Laureto – Voss's goldenrod *'' Solidago wrightii'' A.Gray – Wright's goldenrod *'' Solidago yokusaiana'' Makino


Natural hybrids

*''Solidago'' × ''asperula'' Desf. (''S. rugosa'' × ''S. sempervirens'') *''Solidago'' × ''beaudryi'' Boivin (''S. rugosa'' × ''S. uliginosa'') *''Solidago'' × ''calcicola'' (Fernald) Fernald – limestone goldenrod *''Solidago'' × ''erskinei'' Boivin (''S. canadensis'' × ''S. sempervirens'') *''Solidago'' × ''niederederi'' Khek (''S. canadensis'' × ''S. virgaurea'') *''Solidago'' × ''ovata'' Friesner (''S. sphacelata'' × ''S. ulmifolia'') *''Solidago'' × ''ulmicaesia'' Friesner (''S. caesia'' × ''S. ulmifolia'')


Formerly included

Numerous species formerly considered members of ''Solidago'' are now regarded as better suited to other genera, including '' Brintonia'', '' Duhaldea'', '' Euthamia'', '' Gundlachia'', ''
Inula ''Inula'' is a genus of about 80 species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, native to Europe, Asia and Africa. They may be annuals, herbaceous perennials or subshrubs that vary greatly in size, from small species a few centimeter ...
'', '' Jacobaea'', '' Leptostelma'', ''
Olearia ''Olearia'', most commonly known as daisy-bush, is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Asteraceae, the largest of the flowering plant families in the world. Olearia are found in Australia, New Guinea and New Zealand. The genus i ...
'', '' Psiadia'', ''
Senecio ''Senecio'' is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family (Asteraceae) that includes ragworts and groundsels. Variously circumscribed taxonomically, the genus ''Senecio'' is one of the largest genera of flowering plants. Description Mo ...
'', '' Sphagneticola'', '' Symphyotrichum'', and ''
Trixis ''Trixis'' is a genus of shrubs in the family Asteraceae, native to North and South America including the West Indies. Members of the genus are commonly known as threefolds due to the outer lip of the corolla. The generic name is derived from ...
''.


References


External links

* *
Goldenrod identification.
Andy's Northern Ontario Wildflowers.
Goldenrods Group.
Ontario Wildflowers.

Astereae Lab. University of Waterloo (Canada). {{Taxonbar, from=Q212939 Asteraceae genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Plant dyes