Department of Biology
ESC 350
200 University Ave. W
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
Phone: (519) 888-4567 ext. 32569
Fax: (519) 746-0614
Leavenworth's Goldenrod
Solidago leavenworthii Torr. & A. Gray is native to wet soils, thickets, edges of bogs, and wet prairies on the coastal plain from North Carolina to Florida. The mid to upper stem leaves are finely serrate with 1-10 teeth, the largest 0.25–0.5 mm long (Semple & Cook 2006 FNA). Plants can be similar to S. tortifolia and has the fine stem pubescence of the Tortifolia group of species. The species includes tetraploids 2n=36 and hexaploids 2n=54, while S. tortifolia includes on diploids 2n=18. Semple (2023) presented the cytogeography of S. leavenworthii.
Solidago leavenworthii replaces S. gigantea on the southern, outer Atlantic coastal plain and into Florida. The leaves of S. leavenworthii usually have fewer, smaller serrations than those of S. gigantea, and they have a distinctive dark, somewhat olive green color.
Inventor Thomas Edison had experimental bred plants of the species grown in Florida for rubber (Edison papers; Summers).
Solidago leavenworthii, Semple11703, Taylor Co., Florida
Solidago leavenworthii, lower stem gall, Semple 11704, Taylor Co., Florida
Solidago leavenworthii, mid stem, Semple 11704, Taylor Co., Florida
Solidago leavenworthii, lower stem leaf, Semple 11733, Martin Co., Florida
Solidago leavenworthii, icy leaves, Semple 10917, Taylor Co., Florida in October
Solidago leavenworthii, mid stem leaf serrations, Semple 11703, Taylor Co., Florida
Solidago leavenworthii, inflorescence, Semple 11703, Taylor Co., Florida
Semple, J.C. 2023. The cytogeography of Solidago juliae, S. leavenworthii, and S. tortifolia (Asteraceae: Astereae). Phytoneuron 2023-21: 1–12.
Revised 24 July 2023 by J.C. Semple
© 2023 J.C. Semple, including all photographs unless otherwise indicated