Home/Species/ Slender Goldenrod

Solidago erecta

Pursh

Slender Goldenrod

G5Secure Found in 4 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G5SecureGlobal Rank

UnknownThreat Impact

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.154114

Element CodePDAST8P0L0

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVascular Plant

Endemicendemic to a single nation

KingdomPlantae

PhylumAnthophyta

ClassDicotyledoneae

OrderAsterales

FamilyAsteraceae

GenusSolidago

Synonyms

Solidago speciosa var. erecta(Pursh) MacM.

Other Common Names

Showy Goldenrod (EN) showy goldenrod (EN)

Concept Reference

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.

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 Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)

Number of Occurrences> 300

Rank Reasons

Solidago erecta is a wide-ranging perennial herb in a variety of open habitats occurring in the eastern United States from Massachusetts west to Indiana and south to Georgia and Mississippi. There are approximately 300 occurrences that are potentially threatened by development, rights-of-way maintenance activities, succession, deer browse, and invasive species. 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 erecta occurs in the eastern United States from Massachusetts (historic) west to southern Indiana and south to Georgia and northern Mississippi (FNA 2006, Semple 2023, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024). Range extent was estimated to be over 900,000 square kilometers using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1994 and 2025 (GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, SEINet 2025).

Occurrences Comments

By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1994 and 2025, it is estimated that there are approximately 300 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, SEINet 2025).

Threat Impact Comments

Although threats are not widely documented, this species is potentially threatened by development, rights-of-way maintenance activities, succession, deer browse, invasive species, 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 erecta grows in dry woods, woodland borders, grassy balds, disturbed open soils, old fields, road embankments (FNA 2006, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024).

Terrestrial Habitats

Forest EdgeWoodland - HardwoodWoodland - MixedGrassland/herbaceousOld field

Other Nations (1)

United StatesN5

Province	Rank	Native
Connecticut	SNR	Yes
Ohio	SNR	Yes
Kentucky	S5	Yes
North Carolina	S5	Yes
New Jersey	S4	Yes
South Carolina	S5	Yes
West Virginia	S5	Yes
Massachusetts	SH	Yes
Maryland	S4	Yes
Mississippi	SNR	Yes
Tennessee	SNR	Yes
Alabama	SNR	Yes
District of Columbia	SNR	Yes
Virginia	S5	Yes
Delaware	S4	Yes
Indiana	SNR	Yes
Pennsylvania	S1	Yes
Georgia	S5	Yes

Threat Assessments

Threat	Scope	Severity	Timing
Unknown/undetermined	—	—	—

Plant Characteristics

DurationPERENNIAL

Economic Value (Genus)No

Roadless Areas (4)

North Carolina (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Overflow Creek	Nantahala National Forest	3,379

Virginia (3)

Area	Forest	Acres
Broad Run	Jefferson National Forest	10,971
Northern Massanutten	George Washington National Forest	9,444
Price Mountain	Jefferson National Forest	9,119

References (7)

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.
Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2025. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2025).
iNaturalist. 2025. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2025).
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.
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).
Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2025. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2025).
Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2024. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of March 4, 2024. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2203 pp.

Solidago erecta

Habitat

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