A compact, cascading, clump-forming native with 2-5 foot stems that have radiating light yellow flowers at the tips. Flowers in September. Numerous tiny, toothed leaves have rough, wrinkled surface. A great addition for late season color and to lure the butterflies in. Also attractive to birds, native and honey bees. It is found in moist sites as sandy swamps, wet sandy prairies, sandy banks of marshes, acid gravelly seeps, sand dunes, and rocky bluffs. In recent times goldenrods have been blamed for hay fever, but its irritating symptoms are actually caused by ragweed ( Ambrosia species), whose pollen is airborne when the goldenrod is in flower. Rough-Leaf Goldenrod is a herbaceous perennial that grows to 4 feet. Stems are hairy and upright with rough-textured leaves at the base. Arching spikes of yellow flowers appear in late summer and early fall. It needs full sun to light shade and moist to wet soils. Fire Risk: This plant has a medium flammability rating. Seasons of Interest: Bloom: Fall; Fruit/Seed/Nut: Fall This plant may be confused with: Any other goldenrod species Solidago spp. VIDEO: Part of the Native Plant Picks series from the North Carolina Sea Grant led Coastal Landscapes Initiative . More information on Solidago .
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
Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Ovate
Leaf margin
Crenate; Serrate
Leaf feel
Rough
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
4-inch by 1.5-inch medium to dark green leaves with toothed margins are roughly hairy and ovate to lanceolate in shape. The deep veins give it a wrinkled appearance.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Panicle
Flower shape
Radial; Tubular
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Arching spires of yellow flowers appear from August to October. Each individual flower is tiny with 4-8 rays surrounding 4-8 tubular disc flowers.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Bullet-shaped achene with a short tuft of hairs at the tip. Displays from September to November.
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Green; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
Rough hairy often unbranched stems are light green to brownish red.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern Canada to U.S.A
Wildlife value
This plant supports Wavy-lined Emerald (Synchlora aerata) larvae. Flowers are attractive to butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. Songbirds eat the seeds. Members of the genus Solidago support the following specialized bees: Andrena (Callandrena s.l.) asteris, Andrena (Callandrena s.l.) braccata, Andrena (Cnemidandrena) canadensis, Andrena (Cnemidandrena) hirticincta, Andrena (Cnemidandrena) nubecula, Andrena (Callandrena s.l.) simplex, Perdita (Perdita) octomaculata, Melissodes (Eumelissodes) fumosus, Colletes simulans, and Colletes solidaginis.