 |
| Photograph by Ramona Barrientos |
Natural History
"There is an old legend that relates goldenrods to asters. Two young girls talked about what they would like to do when they grew up. One, who had golden hair, said she wanted to do something that would make people happy. The other, with blue eyes, said that she wanted to be with her golden-haired friend. The two girls met and told a wise old lady of their dreams. The old lady gave the girls some magic corn cake. After eating the cake, the girls disappeared. The next day, two new kinds of flowers appeared where the girls had walked: Asters and Goldenrods."
 |
| Photograph by Ramona Barrientos |
And now for the rest of the story. Rough-leaved goldenrod is a herbaceous perennial to 2 m. tall. The stems are more or less strongly angled, glabrous below the inflorescence. The leaves strongly scabrous above. The lower and upper leaves are dissimilar; the lowermost leaves are 4-10 cm wide, sharply toothed, with a somewhat sheathing petiole; while the upper leaves are gradually reduced but still toothed. The flowers are yellow. The heads in paniculiform inflorescences; inflorescence branches wide-spreading, recurved-secund; rays 5-12.
Additional Information
Goldenrods - Asters and Goldenrods of New England
Flora of North America
Vascular Plants of Wisconsin - University of Wisconsin
Inflorescence vs. Capitulescence
