Solidago canadensis

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Solidago canadensis
Solidago canadensis 20050815 248.jpg
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Solidago
Species:
S. canadensis
Binomial name
Solidago canadensis
L.
Synonyms [1]
  • Aster canadensis(L.) Kuntze
  • Doria canadensis(L.) Lunell
Inflorescence in bloom Solidago canadensis flower.jpg
Inflorescence in bloom

Solidago canadensis, known as Canada goldenrod or Canadian goldenrod, is an herbaceous perennial plant of the family Asteraceae. [2] It is native to northeastern and north-central North America [3] and often forms colonies of upright growing plants, with many small yellow flowers in a branching inflorescence held above the foliage. It is an invasive plant in other parts of the continent and several areas worldwide, including Europe and Asia. It is grown as an ornamental in flower gardens. [4]

Contents

Description

Solidago canadensis is a herbaceous perennial plant with stems that grow 2–4 feet (60–120 centimeters) and sometimes to 6 ft (180 cm) tall. It has a wide distribution with several varieties, [5] which have significant variability. [6] The lanceolate to broadly linear shaped leaves are alternately arranged on the stems. [7] The leaves are 4–6 inches (10–15 centimeters) long and 1 in (2.5 cm) wide. The stems have lines of white hairs, while the undersides of the leaves are pubescent. The leaves are often prominently toothed. [8] The flowers have yellow rays and are arranged into small heads on branched pyramidal shaped inflorescences, [9] flowering occurs from July to October. [10] It has a rhizomatous growth habit, which can produce large colonies of clones. [11] This goldenrod can be found growing on disturbed sites, along dry road sides to moist thickets. [12]

Ecology and distribution

Solidago canadensis is sometimes browsed by deer and is good to fair as food for domestic livestock such as cattle or horses. [13]

It is found in a variety of habitats. It typically is one of the first plants to colonize an area after a disturbance (such as fire) and rarely persists once shrubs and trees become established. It is found in very dry locations and also waterlogged ones. [13]

Canada goldenrod is visited by a wide variety of insects for its pollen and nectar, including bees, wasps, flies, beetles, butterflies, and moths. It is especially strongly favored as a nectar source by bumblebees and paper wasps, such as Polistes parametricus and Polistes fuscatus . [14] [15] Aside from wasps, it is also visited frequently by honeybees and some butterflies, such as monarchs. [15]

It can be extremely aggressive and tends to form monocultures and near-monocultures in parts of its native range, such as in southwest Ohio clay loam. [16] It not only seeds a great deal, but also spreads rapidly via running rhizomes. Its root system is very tough, and plants that have been pulled out of the ground prior to freezing and left exposed atop soil have survived winter temperatures down to -26 °C (-14 °F).

Solidago canadensis is winter hardy in USDA hardiness zones 3–9. [17]

Galls

Many wasps form parasitic galls inside the stem of goldenrod. There are stem, flower, and bud galls. [18] This species is host to the following insect induced galls:

Invasive species

Canada goldenrod in Japan. 2016-10-15 Solidago canadensis,IN Sasayama,Hyogo seitakaawadachisou(Xiao Shan Shi ) DSCF1299.jpg
Canada goldenrod in Japan.

It is established as an invasive weed in many parts of Europe, Japan and China. [6] [20] [21] [22]

In eastern and southeastern China, particularly the provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Jiangxi and Shanghai, its invasion has caused widespread concern. Local news reported that the spread of invasive plants including Canada goldenrod has caused the local extinction of 30 native plants in Shanghai, as of 2004. [23] According to the CCTV program Jiaodian Fangtan, it has reduced orange harvests in Ningbo. [24] It is still spreading across China, and sightings have been reported in as far as Yunnan province. [25] Eradication attempts are still underway as of 2021. Confusion with native Solidago species is a concern. [26]

Related Research Articles

<i>Solidago juncea</i> Species of flowering plant

Solidago juncea, the early goldenrod, plume golden-rod, or yellow top, is a North American species of herbaceous perennial plants of the family Asteraceae native to eastern and central Canada and eastern and central United States. It grows from Nova Scotia west to Manitoba and Minnesota south as far as northern Georgia and northern Arkansas, with a few isolated populations in Louisiana and Oklahoma.

<i>Solidago caesia</i> Species of plant

Solidago caesia, commonly named blue-stemmed goldenrod, wreath goldenrod, or woodland goldenrod, is a flowering plant native to North America.

<i>Solidago nemoralis</i> Species of plant

Solidago nemoralis is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to North America, where it is widely found in Canada and the United States. Its common names include gray goldenrod, gray-stem goldenrod, old-field goldenrod, field goldenrod, prairie goldenrod, dwarf goldenrod, and dyersweed goldenrod.

<i>Solidago rugosa</i> Species of flowering plant

Solidago rugosa, commonly called the wrinkleleaf goldenrod or rough-stemmed goldenrod, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to North America, where it is widespread across eastern and central Canada and the eastern and central United States. It is usually found in wet to mesic habitats.

<i>Solidago altissima</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae

Solidago altissima, the tall goldenrod or late goldenrod, is a North American species of goldenrod in the family Asteraceae which is widespread across much of Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico. It is common in much of its range and fairly tolerant of landscapes which have been disturbed by humans. It has become naturalized in many parts of the world.

<i>Solidago gigantea</i> Species of plant in the family Asteraceae native to North America

Solidago gigantea is a North American plant species in the family Asteraceae. Its common names include tall goldenrod and giant goldenrod, among others.

<i>Solidago californica</i> Species of flowering plant

Solidago californica is a species of goldenrod known by the common name California goldenrod.

<i>Solidago missouriensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Solidago missouriensis is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names Missouri goldenrod and prairie goldenrod. It is native to North America, where it is widespread across much of Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico. It grows from British Columbia east to Manitoba, south as far as Sonora, Coahuila, Texas, and Mississippi.

<i>Solidago odora</i> Species of flowering plant

Solidago odora, the sweet goldenrod, anisescented goldenrod or fragrant goldenrod, is a North American species of goldenrod within the family Asteraceae. The plant is native to the United States and Mexico, found in every coastal state from Veracruz to New Hampshire and as far inland as Ohio, Missouri, and Oklahoma. It flowers from July through October.

<i>Solidago velutina</i> Species of flowering plant

Solidago velutina, the threenerve goldenrod or velvety goldenrod, is a plant species native to Mexico and to the western United States. The species has been found in southwestern Oregon, east to the Black Hills of South Dakota, and as far south as México State in the central part of the Republic of México. It is classified as a member of Subsection Nemorales.

<i>Solidago fistulosa</i> Species of plant

Solidago fistulosa, the pine barren goldenrod, is a plant species native to low-lying coastal areas of eastern North America. It grows in every state bordering on the Gulf of Mexico or on the Atlantic Ocean from Louisiana to New Jersey. It is generally found in bogs, along the edges of marshes, in drainage ditches, etc.

<i>Solidago arguta</i> Species of flowering plant

Solidago arguta, commonly called Atlantic goldenrod, cut-leaf goldenrod, and sharp-leaved goldenrod, is a species of flowering plant native to eastern and central North America. It grows along the Gulf and Atlantic states of the United States from Texas to Maine, inland as far as Ontario, Illinois, and Kansas. It is primarily found in areas of woodland openings, such as outcrops or clearings.

<i>Solidago rigida</i> Species of flowering plant

Solidago rigida, known by the common names stiff goldenrod and stiff-leaved goldenrod, is a North American plant species in the family Asteraceae. It has a widespread distribution in Canada and the United States, where it is found primarily east of the Rocky Mountains. It is typically found in open, dry areas associated with calcareous or sandy soil. Habitats include prairies, savannas, and glades.

<i>Solidago curtisii</i> Species of flowering plant

Solidago curtisii, commonly called Curtis' goldenrod and mountain decumbent goldenrod, is a North American species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It is the eastern part of the United States from Pennsylvania to Mississippi and Alabama, primarily in the southern Appalachian Mountains.

<i>Solidago erecta</i> Species of flowering plant

Solidago erecta is a species of goldenrod known by the common names showy goldenrod and slender goldenrod. It is native to the eastern United States, from Massachusetts west to Indiana, and south as far as Georgia and Mississippi.

<i>Solidago latissimifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Solidago latissimifolia, common name Elliott's goldenrod, is North American species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It is native to the Atlantic Coast of the United States and Canada, from Nova Scotia south to Alabama and Florida.

<i>Solidago mollis</i> Species of flowering plant

Solidago mollis is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names velvety goldenrod, soft goldenrod or Ashly goldenrod. It is native to the central United States and central Canada, primarily the Great Plains from the Canadian Prairie Provinces south as far as Texas and New Mexico.

<i>Solidago ulmifolia</i> Species of plant

Solidago ulmifolia, commonly known as elmleaf goldenrod, is a North American species of goldenrod in the family Asteraceae. It is found in Canada and the eastern and central United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goldenrod gall fly</span> Species of fly

The goldenrod gall fly, also known as the goldenrod ball gallmaker, is a species of fly native to North America. The species is best known for the characteristic galls it forms on several species in the Solidago, or goldenrod, genus. The fly's eggs are inserted near the developing buds of the plant. After hatching, the larvae migrate to an area below the plant's developing buds, where they then induce the plant's tissues to form into the hardened, bulbous chamber referred to as a gall. E. solidaginis’s interactions with its host plant(s) and insect, as well as avian, predators have made it the centerpiece of much ecological and evolutionary biology research, and its tolerance of freezing temperatures has inspired studies into the anti-freeze properties of its biochemistry.

References

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  4. Rahimi, Omid; Asadi Louie, Nilufar; Salehi, Alireza; Faed Maleki, Firouz (2022-12-17). "Hepatorenal Protective Effects of Hydroalcoholic Extract of Solidago canadensis L. against Paracetamol-Induced Toxicity in Mice". Journal of Toxicology. 2022: 1–11. doi: 10.1155/2022/9091605 . ISSN   1687-8205. PMC   9789909 . PMID   36573135.
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