Solidago nemoralis (Gray Goldenrod)

Solidago nemoralis

Solidago nemoralis Aiton

Gray Goldenrod, Field 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	nemoralis	"Pertaining to woods or groves" (from Stearn's Botanical Latin)

About plant names...

Gray or field goldenrod is a native of North America. For a comparison chart of some of the varieties of goldenrods, see Solidago.

Identification: Plants are 6-30" (15-76 cm) tall, smaller than many goldenrods. The main stem is reddish or gray-green, with short grayish-white hairs. Leaves are gray-green, alternate, lance-like (“lanceolate”) or sometimes oval, up to 4" (10 cm) × ¾" (1.9 cm), becoming smaller higher on the stem. They are serrated or sometimes smooth. When the serrations are present, they are “crenate-serrate”—sometimes rounded, sometimes sharp-edged. At the base of each leaf there are often two side-pointing smaller leaflets (“wings”). Fine hairs on the leaves make them feel somewhat rough, like fine sandpaper. Flowerheads may be narrow, or wider at the base; they are 3-10" (7.6-25 cm) long × 1-4" (2.5-10 cm) wide. Individual flowers are less than ¼" (6.3 mm) around, with 4-9 ray flowers and 3-10 disk florets.

Edibility: Not edible.

Online References:

Solidago nemoralis on Missouriplants.com

Solidago nemoralis at Illinois Wildflowers

Solidago nemoralis on the Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site

Solidago nemoralis at the University of Wisconsin's Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium

Solidago nemoralis on Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses

References:

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

Peterson, Roger Tory, McKenny, Margaret, Peterson Field Guides: A Field Guide to Wildflowers of Northeastern and North Central North America, Houghton Mifflin, 1968, p. 194