Department of Biology
ESC 350
200 University Ave. W
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
Phone: (519) 888-4567 ext. 32569
Fax: (519) 746-0614
Florida Keys Goldenrod
Solidago chrysopsis Small is native to shallow sandy soils over limestone in subtropical South Florida and the Florida Keys. It was treated as a diminuitive form of S. virgata (under the misapplied name S. stricta) growing on limestone in FNA (Semple & Cook 2006 FNA). In a multi-variate study (Semple et al. 2016), S. chrysopsis was found to be sufficiently distinct to justify recognizing it as a separate species It is distinguished by having linear to very linear basal rosette leaves and very reduced upper stem leaves. The species is diploid 2n=18 (Semple and Cook 2022).
In a multivariate analysis of the S. stricta complex, S. chrysopsis was found to be well differentiated on several traits from S. virgata. A collection of the species from Highland Co., Florida included in the analysis was thought to likely be introduced from further south in Dade Co.
Solidago chrysopsis, Big Pine Key, Florida, picture by A. Frank
Solidago chrysopsis, basal rosette leaves, cult. Waterloo, ON
Solidago chrysopsis range Semple draft
Semple, J.C., T. Shea, M. El-Swesi, H. Rahman, and Y. Ma. 2016. A multivariate study of the Solidago stricta complex (Asteraceae: Astereae: S. subsect. Maritimae). Phytoneuron 2016-86. 1-34.
Semple, J.C. and R.E. Cook. 2022. Cytogeography of Solidago sect. Maritimae (Asteraceae: Astereae). Ann. Mo. Bot. Garden 107: 21-31.
Last update 3 February 2022 by J.C. Semple
© 2022 J.C. Semple, including all photographs unless otherwise indicated