COMPOSITAE 



COMPOSITE FAMILY 



EARLY GOLDENROD 



Solidago juncea Ait. 



The Goldenrods are a very large genus, some species of 

 which are very diflficult to distinguish. Only the more common 

 of the 33 species known to live in Illinois can be allowed space 

 here. 



The Early Golden- 

 rod frequently begins 

 blooming in the latter 

 part of June and con- 

 tinues until September 

 or later. It grows in 

 either dry or moist pla- 

 ces from New Bruns- 

 wick to Saskatchewan 

 and south to North 

 Carolina and Missouri. 



The stem is 1-4 feet 

 high, smooth through- 

 outandratherstoutand 

 rigid. The leaves are 

 lanceolate or oval-lan- 

 ceolate, firm, smooth, 

 toothed or nearly en- 

 tire. The lower ones are large, sometimes i foot long and 2 

 inches wide, and long petioled. The upper are much smaller, 

 sessile and entire. 



The heads are small and numerous mostly on the upper sides 

 of the short recurved branches of the ample spreading panicle. 

 The 7-12 yellow rays are small and the perfect disk flowers have 

 tubular corollas. The bracts of the involucre are oblong and not 

 at all spreading. The akenes are smooth or nearly so. 



The Broad-leaved Goldenrod, Solidago latifolia L., grows in rich 

 woods and on wooded banks and blooms from late July to September. 

 The smooth stem is somewhat angled and zigzag and grows 1-3 feet 

 high. The leaves are broadly ovate, very strongly and sharply toothed 

 and pointed at both ends. All are thin and usually all are petioled, 

 with the petioles of the lower leaves winged. The heads are in short 

 clusters in the leaf axils and sometimes also in longer terminal clusters. 

 The bracts ot the involucre are obtuse to acutish and appressed. 

 There are only 3 or 4 yellow ray flowers, and the akenes are hairy. 



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