Solidago canadensis

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Photographs by: Dr. Maulik Gadani

Habit : A perennial herb.
Leaves : Sessile, lower ones opposite, upper ones alternate, sheathing at the base, obovate-lanceolate, charteceous, 3-nerved, scabrid-pubescent, base cuneate, attenuated, margins entire or serrated or minutely dentate, reflexed, acute at the apex.
Inflorescence : Capitulum (Head), yellow coloured, shortly stalked, heterogamous, radiate or subradiate, receptacle small.
Flowers :
- Two florets-Ray florets and Disc florets.
- Outer florets female, multiseriate, inner florets bisexual.
- Pappus uniseriate.
- Bisexual florets with corolla narrowly cylindric below, campanulate above, lobes obovate, acute. Stamens 5, exserted, anthers linear, connectives acute.
- Ovary linear, ribbed, glabrescent, dilated above, stigma triangular-acute, hispid.
- Ray florets with corolla filiform, ray oblanceolate, 2 toothed.
- Ovary linear, angled, pubescent, stigma linear, flat, acute.
Fruit : Achenes angled or ribbed, pubescent.
Flowering and Fruiting Time : May - November
Significance :
- Common garden plant well-known for its long, feather-like rods of small, bright, yellow, densely-crowded flowers, in rains.
- It is believed that the Goldenrods cause hayfever.