Euthamia graminifolia (Flat-top goldentop)

Euthamia graminifolia (L.) Nutt.

Flat-top goldentop, lance-leaved goldenrod, grass-leaved goldenrod, flat-topped goldentop

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Asterales	Flowering plants with a central disk flower and surrounding petals, like daisies
Family	Asteraceae	The aster family, which also includes daisies and sunflowers; from the Greek ἀστήρ, “star,” for the star-shaped flowers
Genus	Euthamia	Greek for “well-crowded,” from the dense flowerheads
Species	graminifolia	With grasslike foliage

About plant names...

Flat-top goldentop, or lance-leaved goldenrod, is a North American native. It has become naturalized in Europe and Asia. It is not a true goldenrod, though it is often classified as such, hence the name “goldentop” is now preferred. For a comparison table of goldenrods and similar species, see Solidago.

Identification: These plants are 12-48" (30-121 cm) tall, often branched only slightly, sometimes heavily-branched and bushy. Stems typically have rows of fine white hairs. Lance-shaped leaves contain 3 veins running along the length of the vein. Sometimes there is 1 or 5 veins, depending on leaf size. Leaves are 3-6" (7.6-15 cm) × ⅛-⅝" (3.2-15 mm), resembling grass blades, and attached directly to the stem (“sessile”). Leaves have resinous dots. Large, flat-topped or umbrella-shaped yellow flower clusters appear atop each stem. Each flower in the flowerhead is only ⅛" (3.2 mm) across. Flowerheads tend to bloom gradually, not all at once, emitting a modest, sweet scent. (A similar species, Euthamia gymnospermoides or plains grass-leaved goldenrod, has only a single major vein in even the largest leaves, and hairless stems. Each flower consists of 12-20 tiny florets, vs. 21-35 in lance-leaved goldenrod.)

Some Euthamias are listed below. This genus is in taxonomic flux, so the names are likely to change:

8/15/2021 · Bass Falls Preserve, Alna, Maine
≈ 6 × 4" (16 × 10 cm)

8/24/2013 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 6 × 4" (15 × 10 cm) ID is uncertain

8/25/2017 · Pack Monadnock, near summit, Peterborough, New Hampshire
≈ 3½ × 5" (8.7 × 13 cm)

	*Euthamia caroliniana*	You are here Euthamia graminifolia
Common Name	slender goldentop	flat-top goldentop
Plant	10-39" (25-100 cm) in height.	12-48" (30-121 cm) tall, often branched only slightly, sometimes heavily-branched and bushy.
Flowers	Flowerheads are flat-topped or rounded, often multiply layered, with tiny yellow flowers, blooming from Aug-Dec.	Large, flat-topped or umbrella-shaped yellow flower clusters. Each flower in the flowerhead is ⅛" (3.2 mm) across. Flowerheads tend to bloom gradually, not all at once, emitting a modest, sweet scent.
Leaves	Linear, like grass blades, abundant, typically bent downward or backward (deflexed). ⅞-2½" (2.4-7 cm) long and ¹/₃₂-⅛" (1-3 mm) wide, (up to ⅛" (6 mm)) and smooth. Leaves have resinous dots.	Lance-shaped leaves contain 3 veins running along the length of the vein. Sometimes there is 1 or 5 veins, depending on leaf size. Leaves are 3-6" (7.6-15 cm) × ⅛-⅝" (3.2-15 mm), resembling grass blades, and attached directly to the stem (“sessile”). Leaves have resinous dots.
Stem	Stems are branched partway up, smooth, without a waxy bluish coating (technically, glabrous or glabrate, not glaucous).	Stems typically have rows of fine white hairs.
Range/ Zones
Type	Wild	Wild

Online References:

Euthamia graminifolia on Vascular Plants of the Gila Wilderness

Euthamia graminifolia at Illinois Wildflowers

Euthamia graminifolia on

Euthamia graminifolia on Flora Pittsburghensis: Wild Flowers of Pittsburgh

Euthamia graminifolia on Ontario Wildflowers

Euthamia graminifolia on the Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site

Euthamia graminifolia at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Euthamia graminifolia on eFloras

References:

Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, p, 158

8/25/2013 · Casalis State Forest, Elm Hill Rd, Peterborough, New Hampshire
≈ 11 × 7" (28 × 18 cm) ID is uncertain

8/4/2009 · Near Nashoba Hospital, Ayer, Massachusetts
≈ 11 × 7" (26 × 17 cm) ID is uncertain

8/15/2021 · Bass Falls Preserve, Alna, Maine
≈ 6 × 3½" (14 × 9.4 cm)

8/25/2017 · Pack Monadnock, near summit, Peterborough, New Hampshire
≈ 3½ × 5" (8.7 × 13 cm)

8/28/2020 · Jack’s and Litchfield Trails, Chase Reserve, Brunswick, Maine
≈ 6 × 4" (14 × 10 cm)

Euthamia graminifolia description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 16 Sep 2020.

9/3/2020 · Mitchell Field, Harpswell, Maine
≈ 6 × 4" (15 × 10 cm)

8/25/2017 · Pack Monadnock, near summit, Peterborough, New Hampshire
≈ 3½ × 4" (8.7 × 10 cm)

8/28/2020 · Jack’s and Litchfield Trails, Chase Reserve, Brunswick, Maine
≈ 6 × 4" (14 × 10 cm)

8/15/2021 · Bass Falls Preserve, Alna, Maine
≈ 5 × 3½" (13 × 9 cm)

8/4/2009 · Near Nashoba Hospital, Ayer, Massachusetts
≈ 8 × 6" (21 × 14 cm) ID is uncertain

8/24/2013 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 7 × 4½" (18 × 12 cm) ID is uncertain

8/24/2013 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 4½ × 7" (11 × 17 cm) ID is uncertain

8/15/2021 · Bass Falls Preserve, Alna, Maine
≈ 5 × 3½" (13 × 9 cm)

8/24/2013 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 4½ × 7" (12 × 18 cm) ID is uncertain

Range:

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