Bog goldenrod is a native of North America, preferring bogs, fens, and cedar or other conifer swamps.
For a comparison chart of some of the varieties of goldenrods, see
Solidago.
Plants: Plants are perennials, and are 2-5′ (60-152 cm) high. They are found
in bogs and swamps, an identifying feature (since most goldenrods prefer dry land). Stems are round, not
four-sided as in some goldenrods, and smooth (hairless).
Leaves: Leaves at the base of the plant are up to 1′ (30 cm) long and about
one eighth as wide, and finely toothed. All leaves are smooth on top. The base of each leaf is clasping—it wraps partly around the stem.
Flowers: The yellow
flowerheads, up to 7″ (17 cm) long, form a tight conical cluster at the top of the plant. Individual flowers
have 1-8 petals. They appear from August to October.
Fruits: Pappi, small balls of featherlike hairs,
like miniature dandelions gone to seed, each about ⅛″ (3.2 mm) around.