Solidago nemoralis (Gray / Showy Goldenrod) - photos and description
Inflorescence one-sided and often bent over.
Basal leaf in above photo.
Stem leaf in above photo.
Stems with small, stiff hairs are rough to touch.
Leaf undersides with small, stiff hairs.
General: Plants growing in clumps with several stems, basal leaves tufted. Foliage rough to touch with small stiff hairs, leaves greyish-green in colour. Stems decumbent to erect and dull red in colour.
Flowers: Flower heads yellow in dense panicles. Inflorescence one-sided and often bent over (nodding). We measured a flower head at 6 mm diameter.
Leaves: Basal leaves oblanceolate to spatulate. Most leaves entire, some basal leaves shallowly crenate. The basal leaf blade highlighted in the photo above was measured at 30 mm long by 14 mm wide. Stem leaves alternate, elliptical to oblanceolate, reduced in size upwards. Stem leaf blade highlighted in photo above was 19 mm long by 8 mm wide. Leaves rough to touch, puberulent on top, hispid below.
Height: Height listed in Budd's Flora to 50 cm, we measured plants to 38 cm tall.
Habitat: Sandy and dry prairie.
Abundance: Common.
Origin: Native.
How to identify this species of Solidago: Tufted, gray-puberulent, leaves reduced upwards, inflorescence is a
one-sided raceme (Taxonomic Reminder for Recognizing Saskatchewan Plants).
Similar species: This plant could be mistaken for
Solidago missouriensis, however that
plant is hairless except for short hairs on the leaf margins, while
Solidago nemoralis has stems and
leaves which are gray puberulent.
When and where photographed: Photos taken August 9th on a sandy roadside, about 70 km southeast of Regina, SK, and, August 18th on sandy prairie about 250 km north east of our home in Regina, SK.