Nuttall's rayless goldenrod is an evergreen flowering sub-shrub native to the southeastern United States in the daisy family (Asteraceae). It can be found in prairies, sandstone glades, granite flatrocks, Altamaha Grit glades, and road banks in the mountains and coastal plains of GA south to FL and west to TX. The genus name commemorates Jacob Bigelow (1787–1879), an American physician and botanist. The specific epithet honors Thomas Nuttall (1786–1859), botanist and explorer, who collected plants in the western USA. This rare plant grows 8 to 15 inches tall or taller and will form clumps. It requires sandy or gravelly soils for good drainage in full sun to partial shade. Propagation is by seed and easily germinates in 75-degree weather. It will also spread by rhizomes and can be divided, when necessary, but it is not aggressive Most of the thread-like foliage occurs at the base of the plant, with widely spaced leaves on the stems. The yellow disc flowers occur in flat-topped clusters from September through fall, attracting late bees and butterflies. Use this plant in a drought-tolerant or rock garden, paired with asters, for a late-season pollinator garden. It may be hard to find, but it's worth the effort. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems
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
Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry | Very Dry
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Erect
Texture
Fine
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate; Rosulate
Leaf shape
Linear
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Green leaves are 1 to 5 inches long, very narrow and dotted with tiny glands. Most of the leaves are basilar with stem leaves becoming smaller as they ascend the stem. It may have a bronzy color in winter.
Fall color
Brown/Copper
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Head
Flower shape
Tubular
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Disc flowers with no rays occur in flat-topped clusters of heads, each containing 3 to 5 yellow disc flowers.