Solidago arguta s.s.

Cut-leaf or Sharp-leaved or Atlantic Goldenrod

Solidago arguta Ait. is native in woods of the eastern US and adjacent Ontario in Canada. It is the northernmost species in S. subsect. Argutae sensu Semple and Beck (2021) that here includes S. boottii, S. faucibus, S. harrisii, S. ludoviciana, S. tarda, and S. vaseyi. The S. arguta complex was studied by Gary Morton (1973 and other publications).  The large basal leaves with tapering bases and mid stem leaves have large sharp serrations. Solidago boottii, S. harrisii, and S. vaseyi (synonymy: S. arguta var. caroliniana) were included as a varieties in S. arguta by Semple & Cook (2006 FNA).  All these species were included in a multivariate study of S. sect. Argutae which found support for treating each at the species level (Semple et al. 2021).  The species in the narrow sense (i.e., just var. arguta) includes only diploids 2n=18 throughout its range.  Semple and Morton (2024) presented a map of the cytogeography of S. arguta.