Solidago altissima subsp. altissima

Late goldenrod, Late Goldenrod

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Not Native

Late goldenrod is a naturalized perennial found in northwestern California, the Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, central western California, and Great Basin regions in disturbed sites at elevations below 2,800 meters. Flowering from October to November, this plant produces yellow flowers in dense, pyramid-shaped clusters with heads containing 10 to 15 small ray flowers. Growing with hairy stems 20 to 150 centimeters tall emerging from underground rhizomes, it has a robust and spreading growth habit. Its leaves are distinctively lance-shaped, 4 to 15 centimeters long, with three prominent veins and a rough, short-hairy surface that becomes larger toward the middle of the stem. The small fruits are approximately 1 to 1.5 millimeters long and slightly strigose.

Habitat: Uncommon. Disturbed sites

Bloom period: Oct-Nov

Elevation: < 2800 m

Bioregions: NW, CaR, SN, CW, GB

California counties: Placer, El Dorado, Alpine, Santa Barbara, Ventura

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.