Solidago juncea (Early goldenrod)

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Solidago juncea Aiton

Early goldenrod

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	Solidago	From Latin solido, “to make whole or heal,” because it was believed these species had healing properties
Species	juncea	“Rush-like,” with leafless stems

About plant names...

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

Identification: Plants are up to 18-48" (45-121 cm) high. The main stem is stiff (the species juncea means "stiff like a rush"), hairless and green or reddish, with small vertical ridges. Leaves at base are sharply serrated, but leaves on the upper half of the stem usually lack serrations. They are alternate, up to 8" (20 cm) × 1½" (3.8 cm) at the base, lance-shaped ("lanceolate") or ovate or somewhere in between, and hairless or with tiny hairs just along the margins. Leaves have a single prominent vein, rather than the three parallel veins present in some goldenrods. Flowerheads bend to the left and right, branching heavily. They bloom from June to September. Individual flowers are less than ¼" (6.3 mm) around, with 7-12 rays.

Edibility: Not edible.

Online References:

Missouriplants.com

Illinois Wildflowers

The Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site

The University of Wisconsin's Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium

EFloras

References:

Newcomb, Lawrence, Morrison, Gordon (Illus.), Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide, Little, Brown and Company, 1977, p. 446

Peterson, Roger Tory, McKenny, Margaret, Peterson Field Guides: Wildflowers—Northeastern and North Central North America, Houghton Mifflin, 1968, p. 192

8/24/2013 · Cranberry Meadow Pond Trail, Monadnock Conservancy, Peterborough, New Hampshire
≈ 4½ × 7" (12 × 18 cm)

7/20/2012 · J. Harry Rich Dirt Road, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 8 × 6" (20 × 14 cm) ID is uncertain

7/20/2012 · J. Harry Rich Dirt Road, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 4 × 4" (11 × 10 cm) ID is uncertain

8/11/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 5 × 3½" (13 × 9.2 cm) ID is uncertain

7/20/2012 · J. Harry Rich Dirt Road, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 9 × 7" (22 × 17 cm) ID is uncertain

8/11/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 26 × 19" (66 × 48 cm) ID is uncertain

8/24/2013 · Cranberry Meadow Pond Trail, Monadnock Conservancy, Peterborough, New Hampshire
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 13 cm)

8/24/2013 · Cranberry Meadow Pond Trail, Monadnock Conservancy, Peterborough, New Hampshire
≈ 7 × 4½" (17 × 12 cm)

Solidago juncea Aiton var. neobohemica Fernald

Solidago juncea Aiton var. ramosa Porter & Britton

Solidago juncea description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

8/24/2013 · Cranberry Meadow Pond Trail, Monadnock Conservancy, Peterborough, New Hampshire
≈ 5 × 8" (13 × 19 cm)

8/24/2013 · Cranberry Meadow Pond Trail, Monadnock Conservancy, Peterborough, New Hampshire
≈ 7 × 4½" (18 × 12 cm)

8/24/2013 · Cranberry Meadow Pond Trail, Monadnock Conservancy, Peterborough, New Hampshire
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 12 cm)

8/24/2013 · Cranberry Meadow Pond Trail, Monadnock Conservancy, Peterborough, New Hampshire
≈ 5 × 8" (13 × 19 cm)

8/24/2013 · Cranberry Meadow Pond Trail, Monadnock Conservancy, Peterborough, New Hampshire
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 13 cm)

8/24/2013 · Cranberry Meadow Pond Trail, Monadnock Conservancy, Peterborough, New Hampshire
≈ 6 × 8" (15 × 20 cm)

8/11/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 7 × 11" (18 × 27 cm) ID is uncertain

8/24/2013 · Cranberry Meadow Pond Trail, Monadnock Conservancy, Peterborough, New Hampshire
≈ 6 × 9" (15 × 22 cm)

7/20/2012 · J. Harry Rich Dirt Road, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 4 × 6" (10 × 15 cm) ID is uncertain

Range:

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