Solidago shortii , or Short's Goldenrod, is a herbaceous perennial wildflower and one of the many Goldenrod species. Short's Goldenrod grows best in moist, gravelly, well-drained soils that contains some loam or decaying organic matter in full sun or part shade. For maximum floral display, you should site this plant in full sun. Short's Goldenrod spreads by rhizomes to form colonies, but much less aggressively than other Goldenrod species. The plants will also self seed, but pollination is required to form viable seeds. Cross-pollination occurs by insects (soldier beetle is reportedly a primary pollinator). Short's Goldenrod habitat is in open rocky areas such as limestone glades, rocky slopes, roadside ledges, wood margins, fields and along river banks. Tiny yellow flowers bloom in clusters of 50 to 150 from late summer to early fall attracting pollinators, such as bees and butterflies. The plants have a tendency to flop over while in bloom. The plant is currently listed as endangered on the Federal Endangered Species list. The only known populations of this Goldenrod species today are in the Blue Lick Springs area of northeastern Kentucky and along the Blue River in Harrison-Crawford State Forest in southern Indiana. 'Solar Cascade' is a cultivar of Short's Goldenrod developed by the Cincinnati Zoo Botanical Garden Native Endangered Plant Program as part of its efforts to save the species. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems No known serious insect or disease problems. The plant, once established, is deer and drought tolerant. 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
Clay; Loam (Silt); Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 6 in. | Width: 1 ft. 6 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Erect
Leaf color
Green
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Lanceolate; Ovate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Leaves become gradually smaller as they ascend the stems. The petioles are very slender and about 1" long on the lower leaves, while the upper leaves are nearly sessile. The lower to middle leaves are lanceolate-ovate with indented bases, while the upper leaves are lanceolate with rounded bases. All leaves taper gradually into slender acute tips, while their margins are smooth and often slightly ciliate. Longest leaves are found near the middle of each stem. Basal and lower stem leaves usually wither prior to flowering.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Purple/Lavender
Flower value
Good Cut; Showy
Flower form
Panicle
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Tiny yellow flowers bloom along upper stems in small axillary and terminal clusters from August to October. Flowers are attractive to bees and butterflies. Each flowerhead is about ¾–1" across, consisting of 10-20 ray florets that surround a similar number of disk florets. The petaloid rays of these flowerheads are lavender or pale blue-violet (rarely white), and they are individually linear-oblong in shape. The corollas of the disk florets are short-tubular with 5 minute lobes at their apices. Initially, these corollas are yellow, but they become reddish purple with age. On unusual specimens, these corollas are light pink to nearly white. At the base of each flowerhead, the overlapping green phyllaries (scaly floral bracts) are linear-lanceolate and glabrous to finely pubescent.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit detail
Both the ray and disk florets can produce fertile achenes. These achenes are 2-3 mm. long and oblongoid in shape; they have small tufts of light brown hair at their apices. As a result, the achenes are distributed primarily by the wind.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Two to three foot tall stems, branching occasionally in the upper half. Erect, although the weight of the inflorescence often causes the entire plant to lean sideways. The slender stems are light green, terete, and either glabrous, sparsely pubescent, or hairy in lines.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Indiana and Kentucky
Wildlife value
This plant supports Wavy-lined Emerald (Synchlora aerata) larvae. Attracts butterflies and other polinators. The soldier beetle is the primary polinator.