Foolhardily sorting pieces into groups and having a go at the 'easy' ones
You will see my local observer bias in this page - this resource is oriented at someone who is learning the plants around them. They expect to encounter these plants again and again as they visit and revisit the places where they make observations. The first hurdle for this is to learn what is expected to be found based on past experience - yours and those who have come before - and then to be ready to recognize the exceptions - the unexpected.
In this way, observers are primed to document more thoroughly those individual plants that don't fit the expectations as well as being able to more efficiently document the commonly known things by showing in their images just what is needed to confirm the id.
Now back to the puzzle...
Section Ptarmicoidei https://inaturalist.ca/taxa/556079-Ptarmicoidei
these are the plants that were once spun off into their own genus Oligoneuron and then got sucked back into Solidago. They all have their flower heads organized as corymbs which gives them a general wide at the top flattened profile https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corymb
So the corollary is that flowerheads need to be present ( in bud, in flower, in seed) to separate these plants (until you become very familiar with your particular group of goldenrods and how they grow year round) and an image of the flowerhead from the side showing the corymb form should be included in the observation - if the flower is floppy or the wind is blowing, I have found you can stand close to the plant so the stem is braced against your pant leg and take the photo you need - if you have a better strategy, feel free to share below.
Remember it is possible to identify to Section without going all the way to species - so once you see that corymb on a solidago you can go ahead and id to that level - then in this section you only have 8 candidates to deal with in N. America ( and only 3 in our locality plus a hybrid - bonus!)
Here's the list... once you have the corymb documented, check that you have an image showing the distinct features (suggestions from other identifiers are welcome!) and either a description or a wide shot to give an idea of the habitat - your identifiers will be so relieved to stop muttering under their breath 'but where's the...'
| Species |
Found locally |
Frequency locally |
habitat |
key features |
( # observed in North America) Other places found in North America |
| Solidago rigida |
MB/SK/ND2, 3
|
commonly observed |
prairies, open woods1 - needs lots of sun, does not like taller neighbours, tolerates drought well |
felty surface, avoided by grazers, sturdy stems, stem leaves often pressed vertically against the stem |
(4,000+) AB, ON, AL, AR, CO, CT, DC, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, NE, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WI, WV, WY3
|
| Solidago ptarmicoides |
MB/SK/ND2, 3
|
frequently observed |
dry, sandy, usually calcareous soils, cracks in rocks, limestone pavements, rocky outcrops, grassy slopes, prairies1
|
low tufted plant, white flowers, looks almost like an aster |
(1000+) NB, ON, QC, AR, CO, CT, GA, IA, IL, IN, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NH, NY, OH, OK, SC, SD, TN, VT, WI, WV, WY3
|
| Solidago riddellii |
MB/ND2, 3
|
rarely observed |
wet prairies, oak savannahs and marshy ground1
|
leaves that are folded along the midrib1
|
(400+) ON, AR, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, OH, SD, WI3
|
|
Solidago maheuxii aka Solidago X maheuxii |
MB3
|
not yet |
|
Parents S. rigida × riddellii |
(1) VT3
|
| Solidago houghtonii |
- |
absent |
wet depressions in sand dunes and limestone alvars1
|
|
(50+) ON, MI, NY3
|
| Solidago nitida |
- |
absent |
prairies and open woods1
|
|
(50+) AR, LA, MS, OK, TX3
|
| Solidago ohioensis |
- |
absent |
wet areas in sand dunes, marshes, riverbanks1
|
|
(450+) ON, IL, IN, MI, NY, OH, WI3
|
| Solidago vossii |
- |
absent |
wet prairies1
|
|
(10+) Michigan endemic3
|
J.C. Semple. Solidago https://uwaterloo.ca/astereae-lab/research/goldenrods
check out the very lovely detailed range maps on this site as well as the lively descriptions
- VASCAN https://data.canadensys.net/vascan/search?lang=en
- Nature Serve https://explorer.natureserve.org/
marykrieger
|
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