Department of Biology
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Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa Nutt. is treated in a narrow sense here based on research done in the Astereae Lab post Flora North America (Semple et al. 2017). In FNA, Semple & Cook (2006) included S. jejunifolia, S. pallida, and S. rigidiuscula within S. speciosa. The showy goldenrod retains its large lower stem leaves through flowering. The fruits are glabrous except for a single populations in southern Maine. The other three species, in the S. speciosa complex have very sparsely to moderately hairy fruits. The species includes two ploidy levels; diploids 2n=18 occur east of the Appalachians; tetraploids 2n=36 occur in and west of the Appalachians and in the northeastern part of the range.
Semple et al. (2017) included S. speciosa in a multivariate analysis with S. hispida and S. sciaphila. Semple and Cook (2022) published a cytogeography maps for S. speciosa and related species.
Solidago speciosa, Long Is., New York
Solidago speciosa, heads, Virginia
Solidago speciosa, basal stem leaves, Semple 11613 (NCU), Virginia
Solidago speciosa, and pollinator, Semple 11862 WAT, Alabama
Solidago speciosa range draft JCS
Semple, J.C., L. Tong, and Y.A. Chong. 2017. Multivariate studies of Solidago subsect. Squarrosae. I. The Solidago speciosa complex (Asteraceae: Astereae). Phytoneuron 2017-18: 1–23.
Semple, J.C., L. Tong, Y. A. Chong and M. Kaddoura. 2017. Multivariate studies of Solidago subsect. Squarrosae. II. The Solidago bicolor –S. hispida complex (Asteraceae: Astereae). Phytoneuron 2017-33: 1–44.
Semple, J.C. and R.E. Cook. 2022. The cytogeography of Solidago sect. Erectae, sect. Villosicarpae, sect. Squarrosae, and sect. Brintonia (Asteraceae: Astereae). Taxonomy 2: 261–278.
Last update 4 July 2022 by J.C. Semple
© 2022 J.C. Semple, including all photographs unless otherwise indicated