COMPOSITE 



COMPOSITE COMPOSITE FAMILY 



Solidago puberula, Nutt. 



Yellow Downy Goldenrod, 



Minaret Goldenrod. 

 September-October 



Solidago: for derivation see altissima. 

 Puberula: a Latin diminutive for ripe age. 



THE PREFERRED HABITAT: dry, sandy soil of the Commons; 

 oak barrens. 



THE PLANT: erect, one and a half feet to three feet high; 

 the stem usually simple, rather slender, with minute, 

 short, soft hairs, or hairless. 



THE LEAVES: alternate; oblong-lanceolate, or spatulate; 

 two inches to four inches long; obtuse or acute at the apex; 

 narrowed at the base; short-stemmed or stemless; serrate 

 or entire. 



THE FLOWER HEADS: very small, in panicles topping the 

 stem; the "panicle varies in form from virgate (wand-like) 

 and only two centimetres wide (a little over one half inch) 

 to oblong-pyramidal and more than twelve centimetres 

 (over six inches) in natural spread at its widest part." 

 Bracts of the involucre somewhat awl-shaped, very acute. 



THE FRUIT: achenes; pappus of bristles. 



This is one of the low Goldenrods and is usually erect 

 and rather stiff. Its leaves are wedge-lanceolate and 

 sparingly, but sharply toothed. That is its distinguishing 

 characteristic, its changeableness lies in the shape of the 

 panicle, which varies in width from one to five inches. 



380 



