Slender Goldentop is a native herbaceous perennial in the Asteraceae family found in the coastal and, more rarely, in the Piedmont areas of North Carolina. Its native habitat is moist to wet areas in boggy edges, ditches, roadsides, poorly drained areas, and open woodlands. The plant has a fine texture. grass-like leaves with tiny dots, and soft yellow flowers with a long bloom season from late summer to early winter. It is readily identified by its multi-branched inflorescence of hundreds of very small flower heads and abundant, skinny leaves. It is a favorite of our native bees. Slender Goldentop spreads by rhizomes to form attractive clumps, although it can become weedy if ignored. Slender Goldentop tolerates most soils, except dry ones, prefers acidic and sandy environments, and will grow in full sun to partial shade. To encourage blossoms, remove spent flowers. It can be best used in naturalized areas, native/pollinator gardens, or at the edges of ponds, streams, bogs. The Goldenrod family has been wrongfully accused of causing hay fever. Hay fever is actually an allergic reaction to wind-borne pollen from ragweed. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No known insect or disease problems, although leaf rust can be an occasional problem. Divide every 2 to 3 years to control growth.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Moist | Occasionally Wet
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 6 in. - 2 ft. 6 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Dense; Erect; Multi-stemmed
Texture
Fine
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
< 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Basel leaves are small, narrow, and look a little like grass. They have one vein and also resin dots. There are alternate and basal leaves.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower value
Good Cut; Long Bloom Season; Showy
Flower shape
Radial
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Flowers bloom from August to December. Tiny, bright yellow, daisy-like flowers bloom from late summer to early winter, borne in dense, erect, flat-topped terminal clusters atop stiff, broad-leaved, hairy stems.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer; Winter
Fruit detail
The fruit is a cypsela (pl. cypselae), although it is often, incorrectly, described as an achene.
Stem detail
Stems are 1-3 feet tall, branched above the middle, angled, and glabrous or pubescent.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern and Northeastern United States, including North Carolina
Distribution
AL , CT , DE , FL , GA , IL , KY , LA , MA , MD , ME , MI , MS , NC , NH , NJ , NY , OH , PA , RI , SC , VA , WI , WV
Wildlife value
Attracts bees and butterflies. Bees suck nectar or collect pollen. A special value for native bees.