Solidago ulmifolia

Elm-leaf Goldenrod

Solidago ulmifolia Muhl. is native to woods and wood margins in eastern North America. Stem leaves are sparsely hirsute at least on the abaxial midribs and main nerves, and the inflorescences often consists of a few long arching branching with clusters of terminal flowers (Semple & Cook 2006 FNA). Plants with shorter branched secund-pyramidal inflorescences can be confused with S. rugosa var. rugosa. Only diploids 2n=18 are known in S. ulmifolia.

Two varieties based on differences in stem pubescence have been recognized, but Beck et al. (2021) concluded the more hairy-stemmed plants treated as var. palmeri graded morphologically into the less hairy var. ulmifolia and were not distinct based on DNA sequencing.

Solidago helleri is possibly a hybrid between S. ulmifolia with S. delicatula.

Solidago ulmifolia, margin of woods, Indiana

Solidago ulmifolia, long-branched inflorescence, margin of woods, Indiana

Solidago ulmifolia, glabrous stem, margin of woods, Indiana

Solidago ulmifolia var. ulmifolia, id stem leaves, margin of woods, Indiana

Solidago ulmifolia var. ulmifolia, mid stem leaves, margin of woods, Indiana

Solidago ulmifolia var. ulmifolia, abaxial midvein

Solidago ulmifolia var. ulmifolia, heads, margin of woods, Indiana

Beck, J.B., M.L. Markley, M.G. Zielke, J.R. Thomas, H.J. Hale, L.D. Williams, and M.G. Johnson. 2021. Are Palmer's Elm-Leaf Goldenrod and the Smooth Elm-Leaf Goldenrod Real? The Angiosperms353 Kit Provides Within-Species Signal in Solidago ulmifolia s. l. Systematic Botany 46 (4), 1107-1113.

Last updated 1 June 2023 by J.C. Semple