Found this plant and I’m not sure what it is. Tried looking it up but couldn’t find a clear match.
Just curious if anyone knows what it’s called and whether it’s considered invasive, native, or has any general uses (like for pollinators or landscaping).
by Specific_Brick3750
8 Comments
Hi! This is goldenrod. I don’t know what zone you are in, but I believe it is native in the eastern region at least. I’m in NE Ohio, it is native here, and I have intentionally planted some and had another volunteer species arrive this summer. Yours is a beaut! 💛
It is native all over the east, as has been said. Goldenrod is my falltime favorite plant!
Looks like some kind of goldenrod. This plant has long been blamed for seasonal allergies, which are typically caused by ragweed which looks similar and blooms around the same time.
Like others said, definitely a species of goldrod. It’s useful, and great native! You can make a tea from the leaves, and pollinators love it.
Here’s a list of Texas’s goldenrod species: [Observations · iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=18&subview=map&taxon_id=48678&view=species). My bet’s on tall goldenrod, one of the hardier and more widespread species.
You can use this chart to compare the features and see how well it matches: [FNA: Solidago altissima](https://nwwildflowers.com/compare/?t=Solidago+altissima).
The goldenrods (Solidago genus) are the most important genus of wildflowers in the eastern US, being the host plants for over 100 species of moths and butterflies and serving as a source of nectar well into the fall. The only particularly negative thing of note is that some people with latex allergies can have them triggered by goldenrod sap.
Research how to make goldenrod tea. It’s excellent and so beneficial. I made some this year and will do it every year from here forward. Believe it or not, it helps build resistance to allergies.
When it turns winter the flower buds grow their seeds like dandelions and become fluffy 😀
Someone help: Goldenrod also makes a good dried floral component, doesn’t it?