Goldenrods
(Solidago spp.)
Overview • Description • Distribution • Taxonomy
Overview
Solidago is a very large genus of perennial, herbaceous, flowering plants called goldenrods. It has a worldwide distribution, occuring on every continent except Antarctica. There are about 100 species of goldenrod worldwide, at least 77 in North America north of Mexico, and 16 in Minnesota. Most are native to North America, 8 are native in Mexico, 4 in South America, and 6 to 10 in Europe and Asia. Most are found in prairies and other open areas, a few are woodland species.
Goldenrods have an undeserved reputation for causing hay fever because they are showy and grow in the same locations and in close proximity to ragweeds.
Description
Goldenrods have composite flower heads with short ray florets and short disk florets. Most rise from underground creeping stems; have leafy, erect or ascending stems; and have yellow corollas.
Distribution |
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Sources Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (accessed through the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Portal, bellatlas.umn.edu, 9/25/2025). |
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| 9/25/2025 | ||
Taxonomy
Kingdom
Plantae (green algae and land plants)
Subkingdom
Viridiplantae (green plants)
Infrakingdom
Streptophyta (land plants and green algae)
Superdivision
Division
Tracheophyta (vascular plants)
Subdivision
Spermatophytina (seed plants) / Angiospermae (flowering plants)
Class
Magnoliopsida (flowering plants)
Superorder
Asteranae
Order
Asterales (sunflowers, bellflowers, fanflowers, and allies)
Family
Asteraceae (sunflowers, daisies, asters, and allies)
Subfamily
Asteroideae
Supertribe
Asterodae
Tribe
Astereae (asters and allies)
Subtribe
Solidagininae
Subordinate Taxa
Subgenus Solidago
Section Solidago
Series Solidago
Solidago virgaurea
Solidago litoralis
Solidago dahurica
Solidago pacifica
Solidago decurrens
var. decurrens
var. insularis
var. praeflorens
Solidago minutissima
Solidago horieana
Solidago yokusaiana
Solidago yambaruensis
Solidago kurilensis
Series Macrophyllae
Solidago macrophylla
Section Villosicarpae
Solidago villosicarpa
Section Erectae
Subsection Erectae
Series Erectae
Solidago erecta
showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa) 
Solidago kralii
Solidago plumosa
Solidago ayuhwasi
Solidago arenicola
Solidago austrocaroliniana
stiff-leaved showy goldenrod (Solidago rigidiuscula)
Solidago pallida
Solidago jejunifolia
Series Albigulae
Solidago bicolor
hairy goldenrod (Solidago hispida)
var. hispida
var. huronensis
var. tonsa
var. arnoglossa
Solidago psammophila
Solidago georgiana
Solidago porteri
cliff goldenrod (Solidago sciaphila)
Series Puberulae
Solidago puberula
Solidago pulverulenta
Solidago roanensis
Subsection Humiles
Western North American taxa
Solidago bellidifolia
Solidago glutinosa
Solidago simplex
Solidago spathulata
Eastern North American taxa
Solidago chlorolepis
Solidago ontarioensis
Solidago gillmanii
Solidago randii
Solidago racemosa
Section Squarrosae
Solidago squarrosa
Section Brintonia
Solidago discoidea (previously treated as Brintonia discoidea)
Section Thyrsiflorae
Solidago wrightii
Solidago spellenbergii
Solidago correllii
Solidago orientalis
Solidago buckleyi
Solidago petiolaris
var. angusta
var. petiolaris
var. wardii
Solidago capulinensis
Subgenus Pleiactila
Section Ptarmicoidei (Oligoneuron Group)
prairie goldenrod (Solidago ptarmicoides)
Solidago ptarmicoides × S. rigida
stiff goldenrod (Solidago rigida)
ssp. rigida
ssp. humilis
ssp. glabrata
Solidago nitida
Solidago ohioensis
Riddell’s goldenrod (Solidago riddellii)
Solidago houghtonii
Solidago vossii
Section Glomeruliflorae
Solidago caesia
Solidago zedia
Solidago curtisii
Solidago flaccidifolia
Solidago glomerata
Solidago lancifolia
zigzag goldenrod (Solidago flexicaulis)
Solidago albopilosa
Solidago ouachitensis
Section Multiradiatae
Solidago multiradiata
Solidago leiocarpa
Solidago spithamaea
Section Maritimae
S. sempervirens complex
Solidago sempervirens
Solidago azorica
Solidago mexicana
Solidago maya
Solidago paniculata
Solidago chrysopsis
S. stricta complex
Solidago virgata (S. stricta sensu Gray 1882)
Solidago stricta (synonym: S. perlonga)
Solidago austrina
Solidago pulchra
S. uliginosa complex
northern bog goldenrod (Solidago uliginosa)
var. uliginosa
var. peracuta
var. terrae-novae
basal complex
Solidago gracillima
Section Argutae
Subsection Argutae
Solidago arguta (var. arguta)
Solidago vaseyi (synonym: S. arguta var. caroliniana)
Solidago harrisii
Solidago boottii
Solidago ludoviciana
Solidago faucibus
Solidago tarda
Solidago verna
Subsection Patulae
rough-leaved goldenrod (Solidago patula)
Solidago salicina
Subsection Brachychaeta
Solidago sphacelata
Section Venosae
Subsection Venosae
Solidago rugosa
var. rugosa
var. sphagnophila
var. aspera
var. celtidifolia
var. cronquistiana
Subsection Venosae
Series Ulmifoliae
elm-leaved goldenrod (Solidago ulmifolia)
Solidago delicatula
Solidago brachyphylla
Series Auriculatae
Solidago auriculata
Subsection Drummondiani
Solidago drummondii
Section Unilaterales
Subsection Triplinervae
Series Canadensae
Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)
var. canadensis
var. hargeri
Solidago rupestris
Solidago bartramiana (syn. S. brendae)
Solidago fallax (northeastern)
var. fallax
var. molina
Solidago lepida
var. lepida (northern and western)
var. salebrosa (western)
Solidago turneri
Solidago elongata
late goldenrod (Solidago altissima)
tall goldenrod (Solidago altissima var. altissima)
var. pluricephala
shorthair goldenrod (Solidago altissima var. gilvocanescens)
Solidago shortii
Series Tortifoliae
Solidago tortifolia
Solidago leavenworthii
Solidago juliae
Solidago pringlei
Solidago durangensis
Solidago macvaughii
Solidago gypsophila
Solidago veracruzensis
Subsection Junceae
Series Junceae
early goldenrod (Solidago juncea)
Solidago pinetorum
Missouri goldenrod (Solidago missouriensis)
var. missouriensis
var. fasciculata
var. extraria
var. tenuissima
var. tolmieana
Series Spectabiles
Solidago spectabilis
Solidago confinis
Solidago guiradonis
Subsection Radulae
Solidago velutina (including S. sparsiflora)
Solidago californica
Solidago altiplanities
Solidago radula
velvety goldenrod (Solidago mollis)
Solidago hintoniorum
Solidago gattingerii
Subsection Serotinae
North American taxa
giant goldenrod (Solidago gigantea)
var. gigantea
var. shinnersii
Chilensis Complex (South American)
Solidago chilensis (including S. linearifolia, S. patagonica)
Solidago microglossa (S. chilensis var. megapotamica)
Subgenus Nemorales
(Nemoralis Group)
gray goldenrod (Solidago nemoralis)
Solidago decemflora (synonym: S. nemoralis ssp. decemflora)
Solidago nana
Subgenus Triactis
Section Odorae
Solidago odora
Solidago chapmanii
Solidago sp. nov.
Section Suffrutescentes
Solidago ericamerioides
Source: Semple, John C. and James B. Beck. 2021. A revised infrageneric classification of Solidago (Asteraceae: Astereae). Phytoneuron 2021-10. 1-6. Last updated 22 August 2023 by J.C. Semple. Retrieved 3/12/2024
Synonyms
× Solidaster
Common Names
goldenrods
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Luciearl |
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Dan W. Andree |
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Goldenrod Frenchman's Bluff SNA... This was on Oct. 31, 2024 it looked kind of nice all the neutral earth tone like colors on the prairie this time of year. I read some of the sign your name stuff they have in that mailbox with a notebook out there. The last one to sign seemed to comment to enjoy it but stated to bad its surrounded by huge gravel pits and cornfields. Also stated google maps suck. Not sure why he thought that. But I am sure it TNC and DNR didn’t get together and establish Frenchman’s Bluff SNA it would have been a gravel mining operation or some type of development on it. It is kind a sad there is so little native prairie left. Really makes me appreciate a lot more the ones we do still have. I sent a full size image of this to WDAY and Meteorologist John Wheeler showed it on his 6pm news the other day. I titled it Not frost…😄 |
Alfredo Colon |
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Nancy Falkum |
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Golden Rod with Leonard’s Skipper |
Tom T. |
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Smooth Sumac Red Leaves and … Goldenrod |
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
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Luciearl
9/25/2025
Location: Cass County
Dan W. Andree
July 2024
Location: Frenchman’s Bluff SNA
This was on Oct. 31, 2024 it looked kind of nice all the neutral earth tone like colors on the prairie this time of year.
I read some of the sign your name stuff they have in that mailbox with a notebook out there. The last one to sign seemed to comment to enjoy it but stated to bad its surrounded by huge gravel pits and cornfields. Also stated google maps suck. Not sure why he thought that. But I am sure it TNC and DNR didn’t get together and establish Frenchman’s Bluff SNA it would have been a gravel mining operation or some type of development on it. It is kind a sad there is so little native prairie left. Really makes me appreciate a lot more the ones we do still have.
I sent a full size image of this to WDAY and Meteorologist John Wheeler showed it on his 6pm news the other day. I titled it Not frost…😄
Alfredo Colon
8/2/2022
Location: Albany, NY
Nancy Falkum
9/18/2021
Location: Kellogg Weaver Dunes SNA, Weaver Dunes Unit
Golden Rod with Leonard’s Skipper
Tom T.
9/7/2020
Location: Seven Sisters Prairie
Smooth Sumac Red Leaves and … Goldenrod
Alfredo Colon
8/2/2019
Location: Woodbury, Minnesota
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
