Solidago caesia
Sp. Pl. 2: 879. 1753.
Plants (20–) 35–80 (–100) cm; rhizomes woody, caudexlike. Stems 1–10+, usually blue to purple, glaucous, arching, straight, usually simple, occasionally with 2–3 (–4) elongated lateral branches, glabrous or slightly strigose in arrays. Leaves: basal withering by flowering; proximal to mid cauline sessile, blades lanceolate, (47–) 70–100 (–150) × 8–20 (–30) mm, margins serrate (with 0–24 teeth per side), apices acuminate, faces abaxially glabrous or sparsely hairy, adaxially sparsely hairy; distal sessile, blades narrowly lanceolate, (20–) 40–70 (–100) × (3.4–) 5.6–11 (–17) mm, margins entire to slightly serrate, faces glabrous or sparsely hairy. Heads 9–380, in short, secund, axillary and terminal racemo-paniculiform clusters (4.4–) 13–36 (–58) cm. Peduncles 2–10 mm, sparsely to moderately strigose; bracteoles linear, 1–8. Involucres narrowly campanulate, (3.5–) 4.8–6 (–7.2) mm. Phyllaries in ca. 3 series, unequal, outermost lanceolate (1–1.7 mm), acute, innermost linear-oblong (2.3–4 mm), 1-nerved, obtuse to acute. Ray-florets 1–6; laminae (1.5–) 2–3 (–4) × ca. 1 mm. Disc-florets 3–6 (–9); corollas 2–3 (–4) mm, lobes (0.5–) 1–1.5 (–2) mm. Cypselae 1–2 (–2.5) mm, moderately to densely strigose; pappi 2–3 (–3.7) mm.
Distribution
Ont., Que., Ala., Ark., Conn., Del., Fla., Ga., Ill., Ind., Ky., La., Maine, Mass., Md., Mich., Miss., Mo., N.C., N.H., N.J., N.Y., Ohio, Okla., Pa., R.I., S.C., Tenn., Tex., Va., Vt., W.Va., Wis.
Discussion
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
Solidago caesia is sometimes defined more broadly to include the erect-stemmed S. curtisii and S. ouachitensis.
Selected References
None.
Key
| 1 | Proximal midcauline leaves narrowly lanceolate, 50–150 × 8–30 cm; stems strongly arching; throughout most of range | Solidago caesia var. caesia |
| 1 | Proximal midcauline leaves shorter and broadly lanceolate to rhombic, 50–90 × 13–24 mm; stems weakly arching; wet lowlands of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi | Solidago caesia var. zedia |