Other pictures of this plant:

Facts About this Plant:

Solidago gigantea, or Giant Goldenrod, is native to the entire United States, except about the western quarter. It grows in open prairies, fields, meadows, along roads and railroads, along shores and along woodlands. It blooms in late summer and fall, with small golden flowers on stalks.

There are over 100 species of Solidago in the United States, and they can be very difficult to tell apart. Solidago gigantea is one of the more difficult species to distinguish, as there are several that look similar to it. Solidago gigantea can be distinguished sometimes by the presence of galls on its stems, which separates it from Solidago canadensis , which does not ever have these. It also has glaucous - smooth, and sometimes waxy - stems on the lower plant, and its leaves are much more toothed than the other two species which it looks most like. The species that look most like it are:
Solidago canadensis: this plant is very similar, but it has smooth undersides to its leaves, between the veins, and never has stem galls; its leaves have small teeth, but not large ones like Solidago gigantea.
and
Solidago altissima: this plant frequently also has galls on its stems, and has a fuzziness on the underside of its leaves; its leaves have small teeth, but not large ones like Solidago gigantea.

You can also access our Solidago ID chart which shows various images of over twenty species to help with ID.

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