Wildflowers of Toronto's High Park
Goldenrods
Family: Composite/Aster
Genus: Solidago
Native to Ontario
Perennial
Goldenrod, Canada
S. canadensis
Blooms August to October
Habitat: Meadows, savannahs and roadsides.
Height: Up to 1.5 m
Stem: Hairy in upper half; usually hairless below.
Leaves: Narrowly ovate-lanceolate, stalkless, usually with toothed margins fringed with tiny hairs. No basal leaves.
Flower cluster: branched, pyramid-shaped, containing many tiny flowers in simple racemes on upper side only.
Flower head: Up to 3 mm consisting of 6-12 rays and 2-7 disk florets.
Goldenrod, early
S. juncea
Blooms: July to October
Habitat: Dry open areas
Height: Up to 105 cm
Stem: Hairless below flower head branches. Tufts of tiny leave in leaf axils.
Leaves: Basal rosette and on lower stem oblanceolate, tapering to a winged stalk; Margins slightly toothed and hairy.
On upper stem smaller, linear-lanceolate, stalkless; margins entire.
Flower cluster: Panicle, often as broad as long. Branches simple racemes, drooping or erect. Flowers only on upper side.
Flower head: Up to 4.5 mm consisting of 7-12 rays and 8-15 disk florets.
Goldenrod, grey-stemmed
S. nemoralis
Blooms: August to October
Habitat: Dry open meadows sandy soils
Height: Up to 1 m
Stem and leaves: grayish and hairy
Flower cluster: Elongate pyramidal panicle. Tends to curve to one side at the top like a wand.
Flower head: Up to 6 mm consisting of 5-11 conspicuous rays and 3-10 disk florets.
Goldenrod, zigzag
S.flexicaulis
Blooms: August to September
Habitat: Deciduous woods.
Height: Up to 75 cm
Stem: Hairless below flower head branches. Bent at nodes.
Leaves: Ovate, sharp-tipped and toothed, narrowing to a winged stalk.
Flower clusters: stubby racemes in leaf axils.
Flower head: Up to 6 mm consisting of 3-4 conspicuous rays and 5-9 disk florets.
Silverrod
S.bicolor
Blooms: August to September
Habitat: Dry soil. (Seen in High Park Nature's OurSpace.)
Height: Up to 75 cm
Stem: hairy, grayish
Leaves: Lower, toothed; upper often entire.
Flower clusters: Elongated spike.
Flower head: White or cream rays and disk florets
Upland white aster
S.ptarmicoides
(Despite its common name and aster-like appearance, this plant has recently been reclassified as a goldernrod.)
Blooms: July to September
Habitat: Sandy soil.
Height: Up to 40 cm
Stem: Hairless below with stiff course hairs above.
Leaves: Lower including basal rosette, linear to linear-lanceolate. Upper, same shape but smaller.
Flower clusters: Flat-topped corymb with only one or two heads per branch.
Flower head: Up to 15 cm with 10-20 white rays and 30-36 yellow disk florets.
