| Author | L. | |
| Distribution | Mountains and northern Piedmont. Scarce and local in the Piedmont, for example, along the Dan River in Stokes County, rich mafic forest slope in Caswell County, and Haw River between Chapel Hill and Graham in Orange County.
N.S. to Ont. and ND, south to GA, MS, and KS. | |
| Abundance | Fairly common in the Mountains (at least locally), mainly at middle and higher elevations; very rare to rare and local in the northern Piedmont. | |
| Habitat | Mesic to moist hardwood forests and mixed pine-hardwood forests, cove forests, ravines, slopes along brownwater creeks and rivers. Some populations occur in mafic soils, and definitely found in rich soil and shaded habitats. |
| Phenology | Flowering and fruiting August-October. | |
| Identification | Zigzag Goldenrod is distinctive in its somewhat zigzag stem and basal and lower stem leaves ovate, sharply toothed, taper-pointed, and wing-stemmed. The inflorescence is composed of several heads each in middle to upper leaf axils, plus a terminal spike. Appalachian Goldenrod (S. flaccidifolia) is similar but has somewhat narrower leaves and the stem is straight, not angled slightly at each node as is Zigzag Goldenrod. This is quite a striking plant owing to its zigzag stem and large rounded leaves, but it isn't a species seen routinely in the mountains. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | None
| |
| Other Common Name(s) | Broadleaf Goldenrod | |
| State Rank | S2S3 [S3] | |
| Global Rank | G5 | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | FACU link |
| USACE-emp | FACU link |
