ASTER FAMILY (Compositae or Asteraceae)
IND. STATUS: OBL
FIELD CHARACTERISTICS: A perennial herb 40-90 cm. high. Leaves of the lower and upper stem are dissimilar; the lower or basal leaves are better developed than the upper, and are usually persistent. Leaves are flat, not triple-nerved, and are not dotted with glands. The inflorescence is a flat-topped corymb that is without hairs. Flowers are yellow. In flower from June to October. This species can be confused with Riddell's goldenrod (Solidago Riddellii), which occurs in similar habitats. However, the leaves of S. Riddellii are sickle-shaped, folded, and triple-nerved, and its inflorescence is hairy. Refer to Appendix A for a key to wetland goldenrods.
ECOLOGICAL NOTES: Ohio goldenrod is characteristic of calcareous fens and also occurs in wet to wet-mesic prairies supported by groundwater seepages.
SOURCE: Gleason and Cronquist (1991); and Swink and Wilhelm (1994).