6. Solidago drummondii Torr. & A. Gray (Ozark goldenrod)
Pl. 241 k–m; Map
995
Plants with the
rootstock short and often branched, sometimes also producing stout rhizomes.
Stems few to more commonly several, 30–100 cm long, erect to loosely ascending,
with several fine, longitudinal ridges or grooves, moderately to densely
pubescent with short, mostly spreading hairs 0.1–0.4 mm long (sometimes less
densely hairy toward the stem base), not shiny, not glaucous. Leaves chiefly
cauline, the largest leaves about 1/3 of the way up the stem, the basal and
lower stem leaves withered or absent at flowering (additional rosettes usually
absent). Basal and lowermost stem leaves with the blade 3–8 cm long, 2–7 cm
wide, mostly 1–2 times as long as wide, elliptic-ovate to broadly obovate,
relatively thick and stiff, tapered relatively abruptly to a short petiole at
the base, angled or tapered to a sharply pointed tip, the margins sharply
toothed and inconspicuously hairy, the surfaces moderately to densely pubescent
with spreading or curved hairs, the upper surface sometimes only sparsely
roughened, the undersurface more or less with 3 main veins, but additional
pinnate secondary veins usually also well developed and easily observed (the
veinlets usually forming an irregular network). Median and upper stem leaves 1–7
cm long, broadly ovate to elliptic, sometimes lanceolate-elliptic toward the
tip, the margins toothed or those of the uppermost leaves entire, otherwise
similar to the lower stem leaves. Inflorescences open, more or less pyramidal
panicles, the branches usually arched or nodding, the lowermost branches often
relatively long, the heads oriented upward along the branches (or occasionally
apparently all nodding). Involucre 3.0–4.5 mm long, the bracts in 3 or 4 unequal
series. Involucral bracts oblong-ovate to narrowly oblong-lanceolate and
rounded to bluntly pointed at the appressed-ascending tip (those of the outer
series sometimes sharply pointed), the thin, white to yellowish white margins
hairy (at least toward the tip), the outer surface glabrous, with an elliptic
or narrowly diamond-shaped, green to light green central region mostly above
the midpoint, this tapered gradually to the midvein, the midvein often slightly
thickened and keeled and no additional veins present. Receptacle naked. Ray
florets 3–7, the corollas 2–3 mm long, yellow. Disc florets 4–7, the corollas
3.0–3.5 mm long, the lobes 0.5–0.9 mm long, yellow. Pappus 2.0–2.5 mm long, a
few of the bristles often slightly thickened toward the tip. Fruits 1.5–2.0 mm
long, narrowly obovoid, finely hairy. 2n=18. August–December.
Scattered mostly
in the eastern half of the state (Missouri, Arkansas, and Illinois). Ledges and
tops of calcareous bluffs and rarely banks of rivers.
This species might
be confused with S. ulmifolia, but it is easily differentiated by the
key characters. Inexplicably, Kartesz and Meacham (1999) listed it as a synonym
of S. rugosa ssp. aspera (Aiton) Cronquist, even though this was
not Cronquist’s (1947a) intent, and no other authors have suggested that these
two names should refer to the same taxon.