22. Solidago speciosa Nutt. (prairie goldenrod, showy goldenrod)

Pl. 238 f, g; Map 1011

Plants with the rootstock short, stout, and sometimes branched, usually not producing rhizomes. Stems 1 to several, 40–150(–200) cm long, erect or ascending, with several fine, longitudinal ridges or grooves, glabrous or nearly so below the inflorescence (the inflorescence axis and/or branches often minutely hairy), not shiny, not glaucous. Leaves basally disposed or the largest leaves about 1/3 of the way up the stem, absent or persistent at flowering (additional rosettes occasionally present adjacent to the flowering stem). Basal and lowermost stem leaves with the blade 5–30 cm long, 1–10 cm wide, mostly 2–6 times as long as wide, oblanceolate to elliptic or obovate, somewhat thickened and firm, tapered to a relatively short petiole at the base, angled to a bluntly or sharply pointed tip, the margins entire to shallowly scalloped or toothed and inconspicuously hairy, the surfaces glabrous, the undersurface with 1 main vein, the fine, pinnate secondary veins often relatively faint (these usually forming an irregular network). Median and upper stem leaves 1–10 cm long, elliptic to narrowly lanceolate or nearly linear, the margins entire, otherwise similar to the lower stem leaves. Inflorescences of axillary clusters or axillary racemes, these usually appearing as a spicate to racemose or broader, elongate terminal panicle (this not pyramidal or nodding), the heads oriented in several directions when ascending to spreading branches are present. Involucre 3–6 mm long, the bracts in 3–5 unequal series. Involucral bracts mostly oblong to narrowly oblong and rounded to bluntly pointed (those of the outer series often narrowly ovate and sharply pointed) at the appressed-ascending tip, the thin, white to yellowish white margins hairy, the outer surface glabrous and often somewhat sticky, with a poorly defined, pale green to green central region toward the tip, this tapered abruptly to the midvein above the bract midpoint, the midvein often slightly thickened and no additional veins present. Receptacle naked. Ray florets 5–8, the corollas 3.5–5.0 mm long, yellow. Disc florets 7–10, the corollas 2–4 mm long, the lobes 0.5–0.9 mm long, yellow. Pappus 2.0–3.5 mm long, a few of the bristles often slightly thickened toward the tip. Fruits 1.0–1.8 mm long, narrowly obovoid, glabrous. 2n=18, 36. August–November.

Scattered nearly throughout the state but uncommon in most of the Ozark, Ozark Border, and Mississippi Lowlands Divisions (eastern U.S. west to North Dakota and New Mexico; Canada). Upland prairies, loess hill prairies, ledges and tops of bluffs, openings of mesic to dry upland forests, savannas, glades, banks of streams and rivers, and rarely swamps; also railroads and roadsides.

This is mainly a species of upland sites. It grows well as an ornamental in sunny wildflower gardens and prairie plantings. Moerman (1998) noted that the Chippewa used an extract from the roots and sometimes also stems in treating hemorrhages, sprains, and skin problems, and as a tonic. Several infraspecific taxa have been accepted by various authors, two of which occur in Missouri. In addition to these, var. pallida Porter includes plants with relatively pale leaves and glaucous stems that occur in the western portion of the species range, and var. jejunifolia (E.S. Steele) Cronquist comprises plants with relatively few stem leaves and slender, persistent, long-petiolate basal leaves that grow in parts of the northern portion of the species range.