North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Solidago flexicaulis

Solidago flexicaulis L.

zigzag goldenrod

Synonym(s): Solidago latifolia

Image ID: 18851
Image by: Ware, Richard & Teresa
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: SOFL2
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Solidago flexicaulis
Include in WOTAS: 1
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2019-09-23

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: SOLID
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Solidago
GENUS AUTHORITY: L.
GENUS COMMON: Goldenrod
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of 90-110 species, herbs, primarily North American, but with a few species in South America, Macaronesia, and Eurasia. The placement of the flat-topped goldenrods has been controversial; they are here included in Solidago rather than being treated as the separate genus Oligoneuron.
GENUS IDENTIFICATION: Identification notes: Several related genera readily mistaken for (and/or sometimes included in) Solidago are included here as keying “failsafes”.
GENUS REFERENCES: Semple & Cook in FNA (2006b); Semple & Peirson (2013)=V; Semple (2013)=U; Nesom (1990); Cronquist (1980)=SE; Morton (1973, 1974); Zhang (1996); Cook & Semple (2004); Nesom (1993b)=Z; Heard & Semple (1988)=Y; Brouillet & Semple (1981)=X; Cronquist (1980)=SE; Braun (1942). Portions of the key adapted (in part) from various sources, especially FNA and SE. [also see Brintonia, Chrysoma, and Euthamia]

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: ASTERA
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Asteraceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: Dumortier 1822 or COMPOSITAE Giseke 1792
FAMILY COMMON: Aster Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of about 1500-1700 genera and 20,000-25,000 species, shrubs, herbs, trees, and vines, cosmopolitan in distribution.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Cronquist (1980)=SE throughout family treatment.

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO: Erect-ascending, rhizomatous perennial of moist wooded slopes, especially over calcareous or mafic rocks.
STEMS: Stems slightly angled, usually unbranched, zigzagging between nodes, smooth to sparsely hairy.
LEAVES: Leaves alternate (no basal rosette), wing-petioled, oval to lance-shaped with abruptly tapered base, 2 1/2-5 in. long (reduced above), sharply toothed, hairy along mid-vein beneath.
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS: Composite flowers (heads) in short raceme-like clusters at stem end and in leaf axils; heads 1/8-1/4 in. wide, consisting of 1-5 tiny, yellow ray florets encircling a small disk of 4-8 tiny, yellow, tubular florets.
FRUITS:
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT: 1-3 ft.

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Herb

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Alternate, Basal
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Simple
LEAF RETENTION:

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY: Mixed
BLOOM TIME: Aug-Oct

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
						x	x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR: Yellow

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
				x

FRUITING PERIOD:

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: Moist forests
NATIVE RANGE: eastern & central North America

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text: Zigzag goldenrod is a woodland goldenrod that is a great choice for sun-dappled, partly shaded areas with average, well-drained soils, but it will also grow well in full shade. This shade-tolerant goldenrod has broad, coarsely toothed leaves and flowers that occur in leaf axils along the stem, similar to axillary goldenrod (Solidago caesia). Plant this species in a shady woodland garden to bring a vibrant pop of color in the fall.

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average, Moist/Wet, Well-drained
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade, Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 3
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 8
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE: Bee Friendly, Butterfly Friendly, Bird Friendly
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM COLLECTIONS

Coll_id	Project	Collection date	Collector	Action
1610	HORT	1996-11-12	Bryan	View

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
9021	1996-0206	0000-00-00	1610	View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
9283	9021	142	NCBG staff	1996-11-12	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: SOFL2
USDA Common Name: Zigzag Goldenrod
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV), CAN (NB, NS, ON, PE, QC)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Forb/herb

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	FACU				FACU	FACU		FACU	FACU

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Solidago flexicaulis
COMMON NAME: Zigzag Goldenrod
SYNONYMY: [= C, F, FNA, G, Il, K, Pa, RAB, S, SE, Va, W, WV; > S. latifolia Linnaeus]
PHENOLOGY: Aug-Oct.
HABITAT: Moist wooded slopes, especially over calcareous or mafic rocks.
COMMENTS: NS, ON and ND south to GA, AL, MS, and KS.
RANGE MAP: Solidago flexicaulis.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Asteraceae Dumortier 1822 or COMPOSITAE Giseke 1792 (Aster Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 1500-1700 genera and 20,000-25,000 species, shrubs, herbs, trees, and vines, cosmopolitan in distribution.
REFERENCE: Cronquist (1980)=SE throughout family treatment.

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Solidago L. (Goldenrod)
SUMMARY: A genus of 90-110 species, herbs, primarily North American, but with a few species in South America, Macaronesia, and Eurasia. The placement of the flat-topped goldenrods has been controversial; they are here included in Solidago rather than being treated as the separate genus Oligoneuron.
REFERENCE: Semple & Cook in FNA (2006b); Semple & Peirson (2013)=V; Semple (2013)=U; Nesom (1990); Cronquist (1980)=SE; Morton (1973, 1974); Zhang (1996); Cook & Semple (2004); Nesom (1993b)=Z; Heard & Semple (1988)=Y; Brouillet & Semple (1981)=X; Cronquist (1980)=SE; Braun (1942). Portions of the key adapted (in part) from various sources, especially FNA and SE. [also see Brintonia, Chrysoma, and Euthamia]

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Solidago flexicaulis in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Solidago flexicaulis in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Solidago flexicaulis in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Solidago flexicaulis in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Solidago flexicaulis in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Solidago flexicaulis

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 18851 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 18851 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 0 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 18851 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)