Solidago caesia L.

Wreath goldenrod, blue-stemmed goldenrod, early goldenrod

About plant names...

Wreath goldenrods are natives of North America. For a comparison chart of some of the varieties of goldenrods, see Solidago.

Identification: Plants are 12-36" (30-91 cm) tall, relatively small for goldenrods. They have a purplish stem that may be covered with a whitish bloom. It is green when young, becoming blue-gray or purplish-gray with age. Single stems are common, though there may be a few branches. Leaves are up to 5" (12 cm) × 1" (2.5 cm) at the base, and smaller further up the stem. They are lance-like ("lanceolate") in shape, sometimes thickening more in the center and becoming more oval ("ovate"). Each leaf has a single prominent central vein. Flowerheads appear in clusters along the stem, often with a larger cluster at the top; flowering is from August to October. Flowers are even around each stem, not just on one side. Individual flowers are ⅛-¼" (4-6.3 mm) in diameter, with 1-6 ray petals and 3-6 disc florets.

Edibility: Not edible.

Online References:

Illinois Wildflowers

The University of Wisconsin's Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium

Plants.ces.ncsu.edu

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

EFloras

References:

Newcomb, Lawrence, Morrison, Gordon (Illus.), Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide, Little, Brown and Company, 1977, p. 450

Peterson, Roger Tory, McKenny, Margaret, Peterson Field Guides: Wildflowers—Northeastern and North Central North America, Houghton Mifflin, 1968, p. 200

Thierer, John W., Niering, William A, Olmstead, Nancy C., National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers, Eastern Region, Alfred A. Knopf, 2001, p. 322, 415

Brandenburg, David M., National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Wildflowers of North America, Andrew Stuart Publishing, Inc., 2010, p. 136

9/27/2018 · Pearl Hill State Park, Townsend, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 5 × 8" (13 × 20 cm)

9/26/2010 · Doane’s Falls, Royalston, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 9 × 6" (23 × 15 cm) ID is uncertain

9/15/2012 · Mt. Wachusett, Princeton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 14 cm)

9/7/2021 · Tarbox Preserve, Topsham, Maine
≈ 4 × 6" (10 × 16 cm)

9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 4½ × 7" (11 × 17 cm)

9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 6 × 9" (14 × 22 cm)

9/17/2014 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hamp­shire
≈ 6 × 7" (15 × 17 cm)

9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 11 × 7" (27 × 18 cm) ID is uncertain

9/9/2010 · Pine Meadow Conservation Trust Land, Groton Harvard Road, Ayer, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 7 × 11" (18 × 27 cm) ID is uncertain

9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 8 × 12" (20 × 31 cm)

7/29/2023 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass­a­chu­setts

Solidago caesia description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 5 Oct 2021.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.

9/6/2010 · Henry E. Cowdrey Nature Center, Townsend, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 4½ × 6" (11 × 14 cm)

9/6/2010 · Henry E. Cowdrey Nature Center, Townsend, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 5 × 8" (13 × 19 cm)

9/7/2021 · Tarbox Preserve, Topsham, Maine
≈ 4½ × 7" (11 × 16 cm)

9/27/2018 · Pearl Hill State Park, Townsend, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 4½ × 7" (12 × 18 cm)

9/7/2021 · Tarbox Preserve, Topsham, Maine
≈ 4 × 6" (10 × 15 cm)

9/26/2010 · Doane’s Falls, Royalston, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 14 cm) ID is uncertain

9/15/2012 · Mt. Wachusett, Princeton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 14 cm)

9/6/2010 · Henry E. Cowdrey Nature Center, Townsend, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 6 × 9" (15 × 21 cm)

9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 5 × 6" (13 × 15 cm)

9/7/2021 · Tarbox Preserve, Topsham, Maine
≈ 4 × 4½" (10 × 11 cm)

10/13/2015
≈ 5 × 8" (12 × 19 cm)

9/9/2010 · Pine Meadow Conservation Trust Land, Groton Harvard Road, Ayer, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 4½ × 7" (11 × 17 cm) ID is uncertain

9/9/2010 · Pine Meadow Conservation Trust Land, Groton Harvard Road, Ayer, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 4½ × 7" (11 × 17 cm) ID is uncertain

Range:

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