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Solidago speciosa

Nutt.

Showy Goldenrod

G5Secure Found in 3 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.161090
Element CodePDAST8P1X0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderAsterales
FamilyAsteraceae
GenusSolidago
COSEWICE,T
Other Common Names
showy goldenrod (EN) Verge d'or voyante (FR)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Taxonomic Comments
This record is for the broad treatment of Solidago speciosa which includes varieties erecta, jejunifolia, pallida, and rigidiuscula, as recognized in Kartesz (1994). Semple and Cook in FNA (2006, vol. 20) and Kartesz (1999) recognizes a narrower concept, accepting S. erecta as a distinct species and include the other taxa, mostly as subspecies or varieties, in S. speciosa (the FNA treatment does not distinguish var. jejunifolia as distinct from var. speciosa). Semple et al. (2012) recognize S. speciosa more narrowly, accepting S. jejunifolia, S. rigidiuscula, and S. pallida (as well as S. erecta) as distinct species. This treatment is accepted by Weakley et al. (2025).
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2025-01-23
Change Date1984-09-06
Edition Date2025-01-23
Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2025)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Solidago speciosa is a wide-ranging perennial herb in a variety of open habitats occurring in eastern and central North America from Ontario and Manitoba, Canada and Maine, United States south to Georgia and New Mexico. There are over 1000 occurrences that are potentially threatened by development, rights-of-way maintenance activities, logging, succession and fire suppression, invasive species, and deer browse. Little is known about trends, but with a large range extent and large number of occurrences, abundant habitat, broad habitat preferences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Solidago speciosa occurs in eastern and central North America from Ontario and Manitoba, Canada and Maine, United States south to Georgia and New Mexico (FNA 2006). Range extent was estimated to be over 4.5 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1994 and 2025 (GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, NatureServe 2025, SEINet 2025).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1994 and 2025, it is estimated that there are over 1000 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, NatureServe 2025, SEINet 2025).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, this species is potentially threatened by development, rights-of-way maintenance activities, logging, succession and fire suppression, invasive species, deer browse, and other threats in some places. However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range, large number of occurrences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Solidago speciosa grows in prairies, grasslands, fields, limestone barrens, oak savannas, open woods, pine forests, road embankments (FNA 2006, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2025).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest EdgeWoodland - HardwoodWoodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedSavannaGrassland/herbaceousBarrens
Other Nations (2)
CanadaNNR
ProvinceRankNative
ManitobaSNRYes
OntarioSNRYes
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
New YorkSNRYes
North DakotaSNRYes
GeorgiaS5Yes
IndianaSUYes
KansasSNRYes
South CarolinaS3Yes
PennsylvaniaSNRYes
MarylandS2Yes
AlabamaSNRYes
North CarolinaS5Yes
OklahomaSNRYes
IllinoisSNRYes
VirginiaS4Yes
ColoradoS3Yes
OhioS2Yes
NebraskaSNRYes
New JerseySNRYes
MassachusettsSNRYes
MississippiSNRYes
KentuckyS3Yes
WisconsinSNRYes
New HampshireSNRYes
New MexicoSNRYes
IowaS4Yes
TexasSNRYes
ConnecticutSNRYes
South DakotaSNRYes
MissouriSNRYes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
WyomingS2Yes
MinnesotaSNRYes
MichiganSNRYes
West VirginiaS4Yes
TennesseeSNRYes
LouisianaSNRYes
VermontSHYes
MaineS1Yes
ArkansasSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined———

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (3)
North Carolina (2)
AreaForestAcres
Chunky Gal (addition)Nantahala National Forest3,336
Woods MountainPisgah National Forest9,602
Tennessee (1)
AreaForestAcres
Bald River Gorge AdditionCherokee National Forest1,728
References (10)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2006b. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 20. Magnoliophyta: Asteridae, part 7: Asteraceae, part 2. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxii + 666 pp.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2025. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2025).
  3. iNaturalist. 2025. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2025).
  4. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  5. Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.
  6. NatureServe. 2025. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  7. Semple, J.C. 2023. Classification and illustrations of goldenrods. Asteraceae Lab home, Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada. Online. Available: https://uwaterloo.ca/astereae-lab/pityopsis-oligantha (accessed 2025).
  8. Semple, J.C., L. Tong, M.J. Oldham, and W.D. Bakowsky. 2012. <i>Solidago pallida</i> new to Ontario and Canada. Phytoneuron 106:1-5.
  9. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2025. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2025).
  10. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2025. Flora of the southeastern United States Web App. Edition of February 18, 2025. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Online. Available: https://fsus.ncbg.unc.edu (accessed 2025).