Anise-scented or Fragrant or Sweet Goldenrod

Solidago odora Ait. is widely distributed in the southern U.S. with the range extending north to southern New England in the east.  It is distinquished by its smooth, entire, single veined, lanceolate-deltoid leaves that give off a strong anise odor when crushed (Semple & Cook 2006 FNA).  The involucres are usually green to bright yellow becoming a bit rusty with age; phyllaries are lanceolate with hyaline margins and single veined.  The species is diploid 2n=18 throughout its range. Solidago odora range Semple draft

It is treated here in a narrow sense including only var./ssp. odora in FNASolidago chapmanii (Solidago odora var. chapmanii) is excluded as a separate species. Michaux (1803) treated the species as Solidago retrorsa Michx.  Specimens in P and P-MICH he labeled as S. odora are in fact collections of the distantly related S. tortifolia Ell. of S. sect. Unilaterales subsect. Triplinerviae (Semple et al. 2020).

Solidago odora is a member of S. subg. Triactis, which is the oldest divergent lineage in the genus (Semple et al. 2023 in press). Potentially, S. odora is one of the oldest species in the genus.

After the Boston Tea Party in 1773, a tea substitute (a Liberty Tea) was made from leaves of S. odora by the American colonists.  Goldenrod tea can still be bought on line.