Vascular Plants of North Carolina

Vascular Plants of North Carolina

Account for Northern Roughleaf Goldenrod - Solidago patula Muhlenberg ex Willdenow

Members of Asteraceae:

Members of Solidago with account distribution info or public map:

Section 6 » Order Asterales » Family Asteraceae

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Author	Muhlenberg ex Willdenow
Distribution	Mountains only. NH to southern Ont. and WI, south to northern GA, TN, and MO.
Abundance	Uncommon as a whole over the province, but fairly common to locally common within its rather restricted habitats.
Habitat	Montane seepage bogs, swamps, wet ground along creeks, seepages over mafic rocks, wet grassy balds. Clearly a wetland species, usually in small or isolated, poorly-drained wet places.
Phenology	Flowering and fruiting August - early October.
Identification	Northern Roughleaf Goldenrod is robust, 3-5 feet tall, rarely to 6 feet, from a rosette of large basal and lower stem leaves (to 1 foot long and 4 inches wide) that are sharply toothed. Stem leaves gradually become smaller upward. All leaves are roughly textured on the upper surface, like sandpaper. The inflorescence is broad, with lax branches that curve outward. Southern Roughleaf Goldenrod (S. salicina) is similar but its leaves are much narrower and less coarsely toothed. Note also its different range, essentially in the Coastal Plain and lower Piedmont. A tall goldenrod in the mountains with huge basal leaves and growing in wet places is generally this species.
Taxonomic Comments	Some older treatments included Southern Roughleaf Goldenrod as a variety.
Other Common Name(s)	Swamp Goldenrod, Roundleaf Goldenrod. Often just called Roughleaf Goldenrod, but this name refers both to the collective S. patula (that includes S. salicina). Northern and Southern are used to differentiate these two sister species.
State Rank	S3? [S3S4]
Global Rank	G5
State Status
US Status
USACE-agcp	OBL link
USACE-emp	OBL link

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