Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses

GRAY GOLDENROD

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Solidago nemoralis Aiton

Johnson County, Kansas

Perennial

Height: 8-40 inches

Family: Asteraceae - Sunflower Family

Flowering Period: August, September,October

Also Called:

Old-field goldenrod, prairie goldenrod.

Stems:

Erect, 1-10, often clustered, finely-hairy with grayish or whitish pubescence.

Leaves:

Alternate, upper leaves different shape than lower; basal leaves well-developed, spatulate-ovate to oblanceolate, 2-8 inches long, 1/3 to 1.6 inches wide, surfaces finely-hairy with grayish or whitish pubescence, conspicuous mid-rib, lateral nerves less prominent, arranged feather-like; margins shallow-toothed to entire; tip pointed; base tapering to winged stalk; mid and upper stem leaves linear-oblanceolate; margins entire; sessile; progressively reduced upward.

Inflorescences:

Panicle, long and narrow to pyramidal, 3 to 10 inches long, 1-4 inches wide, tip sometimes drooping; branches often long, spreading, curved downward; heads directed to 1-side.

Flowers:

Involucre narrowly bell-shaped, 1/6 to 1/4 inch tall; bracts ovate to linear-lanceolate, unequal, overlapping , margins fringed; ray florets 4-9, short, yellow; disk florets 3-10, yellow.

Fruits:

Achene, cone-shaped, ribbed, short-hairy, tipped with numerous white, hair-like bristles, enclosing small seed.

Habitat:

Prairies, old or fallow fields, dry open woods, eroded slopes, thickets, roadsides; sandy soils.

Distribution:

East 1/2 of Kansas.

Uses:

Native Americans boiled the roots and used the liquid to treat jaundice and kidney disorders. The leaves were boiled and the liquid used as a wash for burns and skin ulcers. The Navajo burned the plant as incense. The seeds were used for food.

Comments:

Gray goldenrod is shorter and less aggressive than Canada goldenrod. It is sometimes used in flower arrangements.

Gray goldenrod inflorescence