<y±LL but a few of the one hundred and 
twenty-five species of goldenrod are native of North 
America. Some flower as early as June and others 
as late as November. No wonder, then, that the 
hillsides, cliff's, rich woodlands, thickets and river 
banks burst forth in garbs of gold and crimson, pro¬ 
viding a large share of the beauty and splendor that 
adorn nature during the summer and early fall. . . . 
For what is lovelier to behold than the goldenrod 
gracefully tossing its plume-like head of bright gold 
as it clings to the ragged edge of high cliff's? In the 
field, when seen among the tangled vines, thistles 
and asters of purple, it seems to crown everything 
that the field incloses. Again, when the fragrant 
goldenrod lifts its flower heads along shady road¬ 
sides, moist woods, river banks and low fields chang¬ 
ing them into vast stretches of gold, or when the 
autumn landscape is made glorious by swaying 
wands dotted with graceful clusters of very small 
gold and crimson flowers, then, indeed, one has 
something lovely to behold. Most everyone likes 
to think of the goldenrod as the poet pictures it in 
the following lines: 
“Along the roadside, like the flowers of gold 
That tawny Incas for their gardens wrought, 
Heavy with sunshine drops the goldenrod.” 
No species of goldenrod seems as “heavy with sun¬ 
shine” as that of the Canada or Rock Goldenrod, 
so beautifully pictured on the next page. From 
August to November, it adorns hillsides, river banks 
and thickets, from Newfoundland to Saskatchewan, 
and south to Virginia, Tennessee and South Dakota, 
spreading long branches on which are arranged 
numerous heads of very small deep-yellow flowers 
that form rich, densely flowered clusters. These 
clusters make, as it were, a golden crown for the 
slightly hairy stem which grows from one to five, 
and often eight feet high. Usually, many plants are 
seen growing together. They spread by means of 
underground rootstalks and soon cover vast stretches 
of landscape with graceful, swaying plumes of gold, 
thus creating a picture of real autumn beauty. . . . 
Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee have cho¬ 
sen the goldenrod as their State Flower. 
