Golden Rod

March 24th, 2008

Botanical Name: Solidago virgaurea (LINN.)
Family: N.O. Compositae
Synonyms: Verge d’Or. Solidago. Goldruthe. Woundwort. Aaron’s Rod.
Part Used: Leaves.
Habitat: Europe, including Britain. Central Asia. North America.
Description:About 100 perennial species make up the genus Solidago, most being found in the meadows and pastures, along roads, ditches and waste areas in North America. There are a handful of species from each of Mexico, South America, and Eurasia. Some American species have also been introduced into Europe some 250 years ago.

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Many species are difficult to distinguish. Probably due to their bright, golden yellow flower heads blooming in late summer, the goldenrod is often unfairly blamed for causing hay fever in humans. The pollen causing these allergy problems is mainly produced by Ragweed (Ambrosia sp.), blooming at the same time as the goldenrod, but is wind-pollinated. Goldenrod pollen is too heavy and sticky to be blown far from the flowers, and is thus mainly pollinated by insects.

Goldenrods are easily recognized by their golden inflorescence with hundreds of small capitula, but some are spike-like and other have auxiliary racemes.

They have slender stems, usually hairless but S. canadensis shows hairs on the upper stem.

Their alternate leaves are linear to lanceolate. Their margins are usually finely to sharply serrated.

Propagation is by wind-disseminated seed or by underground rhizomes. They form patches that are actually vegetative clones of a single plant.

The generic name comes from solidare, for the plant is known as a vulnerary, or one that ‘makes whole.’ It grows from 2 to 3 feet in height, with alternate leaves, of a clear green, and terminal panicles of golden flowers, both ray and disk. It is the only one (of over eighty species) native to Great Britain.
The leaves and flowers yield a yellow dye.

When bruised, the herb smells like Wild Carrot.

Use and cultivation:
Goldenrod is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species - see list of Lepidoptera that feed on goldenrods. The Goldenrod then forms a leathery bulb (called a gall) around the invading insect as a quarantine to keep it confined to a small part of the plant. Parasitoid wasps have evolved to find these galls, and lay eggs in the insect after penetrating the bulb. In a final nod to evolutionary complexity, woodpeckers have learned to blast open the gall and eat the wasp-infested insect holed up in the center.

Goldenrods can be used for decoration and making tea. Goldenrods are, in some places, held as a sign of good luck or good fortune; but they are considered weeds by some.

Goldenrods are mostly short-day plants and bloom in late summer and early fall and some species produce abundant nectar when moisture is plentiful before bloom, and the bloom period is relatively warm and sunny. Honey from goldenrods often is dark and strong due to admixtures of other nectars. However when there is a strong honey flow, a light (often water white), spicy-tasting honey is produced. While the bees are ripening the honey there is a rank odor and taste, but finished honey is much milder.

Garden use:
British gardeners adopted goldenrod long before Americans. Goldenrod only began to gain some acceptance in American gardening (other than wildflower gardening) during the 1980s. A hybrid with aster, known as x Solidaster is less unruly, with pale yellow flowers, equally suitable for dried arrangements.

Solidago canadensis was introduced as a garden plant in Central Europe, and is now common in the wild. In Germany, it is considered an invasive species that displaces native vegetation from its natural habitat.

Goldenrod is a companion plant, playing host to some beneficial insects, repelling some pests

Industrial use:
Inventor Thomas Edison experimented with goldenrod to produce rubber, which it contains naturally. Edison created a fertilization and cultivation process to maximize the rubber content in each plant. His experiments produced a 12 foot tall plant that yielded as much as 12 percent rubber. The rubber produced through Edison’s process was resilient and long lasting. The tires on the Model T given to him by his friend Henry Ford were made from goldenrod. Examples of the rubber can still be found in his laboratory, elastic and rot free after more than 50 years. However, even though Edison turned his research over to the U.S. government a year before his death, goldenrod rubber never went beyond the experimental stage.

Constituents: The plant contains tannin, with some bitter and astringent principles.

Medicinal Action and Uses: Aromatic, stimulant, carminative. Golden Rod is an ingredient in the Swiss Vulnerary, faltrank. It is astringent and diuretic and efficacious for stone in the bladder. It is recorded that in 1788 a boy of ten, after taking the infusion for some months, passed quantities of gravel, fifteen large stones weighing up to 1 1/4 OZ., and fifty over the size of a pea. It allays sickness due to weak digestion.

The variety Solidago virgaurea is a traditional kidney tonic. It has aquaretic, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic and antiseptic action and seems to increase kidney output.This makes it useful as an agent to counter inflammation and irritation of the kidneys when bacterial infection or stones are present. Such use is in combination with other herbs that create a synergistic therapeutic effect on the urinary system. As in other areas of herbalism, blending creates a therapy greater than the effect of a single herb alone. The aquaretic action is also useful in helping to dissolve kidney stones by diluting their components and preventing them from reoccuring. See herbal medicine. Goldenrod has also been used as part of a tincture to aid in cleansing of the kidney/bladder during a healing fast, in conjunction with Potassium broth and specific juices. ‘Solidago odora’ is also sold as a medicinal, for these issues: mucus, kidney/bladder cleansing and stones, colds, digestion.

In powder it is used for cicatrization of old ulcers. It has been recommended in many maladies, as it is a good diaphoretic in warm infusion, and is in this form also helpful in dysmenorrhoea and amenorrhoea. As a spray and given internally, it is of great value in diphtheria.

Dosage: 1/2 to 1 drachm of the fluid extract.

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider

Other Species:
Solidago albopilosa E.L. Braun : Whitehair Goldenrod
Solidago altiplanities C.& J. Taylor : High Plains Goldenrod
Solidago arguta Ait. : Atlantic Goldenrod
Solidago arguta. var. arguta : Atlantic Goldenrod
Solidago arguta var. boottii (Hook.) Palmer & Steyermark : Boott’s Goldenrod
Solidago arguta var. caroliniana Gray : Atlantic Goldenrod
Solidago arguta var. harrisii (Steele) Cronq. : Harris’ Goldenrod
Solidago arguta var. neurolepis (Fern.) Steyermark : Atlantic Goldenrod
Solidago auriculata Shuttlw. ex Blake : Eared Goldenrod
Solidago bicolor L. : White Goldenrod
Solidago brachyphylla Chapman : Dixie Goldenrod
Solidago buckleyi Torr. & Gray : Buckley’s Goldenrod (VU)
Solidago caesia L. : Wreath Goldenrod
Solidago caesia var. caesia : Wreath Goldenrod
Solidago caesia var. curtisii (Torr. & Gray) Wood : Mountain Decumbent Goldenrod
Solidago calcicola Fern. : Limestone Goldenrod
Solidago californica Nutt. : California Goldenrod
Solidago canadensis L. : Canada Goldenrod, Canadian Goldenrod
Solidago canadensis var. canadensis : Canada Goldenrod
Solidago canadensis var. gilvocanescens Rydb. : Shorthair Goldenrod
Solidago canadensis var. hargeri Fern. : Harger’s Goldenrod
Solidago canadensis var. lepida (DC.) Cronq. : Canada Goldenrod
Solidago canadensis var. salebrosa (Piper) M.E. Jones : Salebrosa Goldenrod
Solidago canadensis var. scabra Torr. & Gray : Canada Goldenrod
Solidago cutleri Fern. : Cutler’s alpine Goldenrod
Solidago deamii Fern. : Deam’s Goldenrod
Solidago discoidea Ell. : Rayless Mock Goldenrod
Solidago fistulosa P. Mill. : Pinebarren Goldenrod
Solidago flaccidifolia Small : Mountain Goldenrod
Solidago flexicaulis L. : Zigzag Goldenrod
Solidago gattingeri Chapman : Gattinger’s Goldenrod
Solidago gigantea Ait. : Giant Goldenrod
Solidago glomerata Michx. : Clustered Goldenrod
Solidago gracillima Torr. & Gray : Virginia Goldenrod
Solidago guiradonis Gray : Guirado Goldenrod
Solidago hispida Muhl. ex Willd. : Hairy Goldenrod
Solidago hispida var. arnoglossa Fern. : Hairy Goldenrod
Solidago hispida var. hispida : Hairy Goldenrod
Solidago hispida var. lanata (Hook.) Fern. : Hairy Goldenrod
Solidago hispida var. tonsa Fern. : Hairy Goldenrod
Solidago juliae Nesom : Julia’s Goldenrod
Solidago juncea Ait. : Early Goldenrod
Solidago latissimifolia P. Mill. : Elliott’s Goldenrod
Solidago leavenworthii Torr. & Gray : Leavenworth’s Goldenrod
Solidago ludoviciana (Gray) Small : Louisiana Goldenrod
Solidago macrophylla Pursh : Largeleaf Goldenrod
Solidago missouriensis Nutt. : Missouri Goldenrod
Solidago missouriensis var. fasciculata Holz. : Missouri Goldenrod
Solidago missouriensis var. missouriensis : Missouri Goldenrod
Solidago missouriensis var. tenuissima (Woot. & Standl.) C.& J. Taylor : Missouri Goldenrod
Solidago missouriensis Nutt. var. tolmieana (Gray) Cronq. : Tolmies’ Goldenrod
Solidago mollis Bartl. : Velvety Goldenrod
Solidago mollis var. angustata Shinners : Velvety Goldenrod
Solidago mollis var. mollis : Velvety Goldenrod
Solidago multiradiata Ait. : Rocky Mountain Goldenrod, Alpine Goldenrod
Solidago multiradiata var. arctica (DC.) Fern. : Arctic Goldenrod
Solidago multiradiata var. multiradiata : Rocky Mountain Goldenrod
Solidago multiradiata var. scopulorum Gray : Manyray Goldenrod
Solidago nana Nutt. : Baby Goldenrod
Solidago nemoralis Ait. : Gray Goldenrod, American Western Goldenrod
Solidago nemoralis var. longipetiolata (Mackenzie & Bush) Palmer & Steyermark : Gray Goldenrod
Solidago nemoralis var. nemoralis : Gray Goldenrod
Solidago odora Ait. : Anise-scented Goldenrod, Sweet Goldenrod
Solidago odora var. chapmanii (Gray) Cronq. : Chapman’s Goldenrod
Solidago odora var. odora : Anise-scented Goldenrod
Solidago ouachitensis C.& J. Taylor : Ouachita Mountain Goldenrod
Solidago patula Muhl. ex Willd. : Roundleaf Goldenrod
Solidago patula var. patula : Roundleaf Goldenrod
Solidago patula var. strictula Torr. & Gray : Roundleaf Goldenrod
Solidago petiolaris Ait. : Downy Ragged Goldenrod
Solidago petiolaris var. angusta (Torr. & Gray) Gray : Downy Ragged Goldenrod
Solidago petiolaris var. petiolaris : Downy Ragged Goldenrod
Solidago pinetorum Small : Small’s Goldenrod
Solidago plumosa Small : Plumed Goldenrod
Solidago porteri Small : Porter’s Goldenrod
Solidago puberula Nutt. : Downy Goldenrod (VU)
Solidago puberula var. puberula : Downy Goldenrod
Solidago puberula var. pulverulenta (Nutt.) Chapman : Downy Goldenrod
Solidago pulchra Small : Carolina Goldenrod
Solidago radula Nutt. : Western Rough Goldenrod
Solidago radula var. laeta (Greene) Fern. : Western Rough Goldenrod
Solidago radula var. radula : Western Rough Goldenrod
Solidago radula var. stenolepis Fern. : Western Rough Goldenrod
Solidago roanensis Porter : Roan Mountain Goldenrod EN
Solidago rugosa P. Mill. : Wrinkleleaf Goldenrod, Rough-stemmed Goldenrod
Solidago rugosa subsp. aspera (Ait.) Cronq. : Wrinkleleaf Goldenrod
Solidago rugosa subsp. rugosa : Wrinkleleaf Goldenrod
Solidago rugosa subsp. rugosa var. rugosa : Wrinkleleaf Goldenrod
Solidago rugosa subsp. rugosa var. sphagnophila Graves : Wrinkleleaf Goldenrod
Solidago rugosa subsp. rugosa var. villosa (Pursh) Fern. : Wrinkleleaf Goldenrod
Solidago rupestris Raf. : Eock Goldenrod
Solidago sciaphila Steele : Shadowy Goldenrod
Solidago sempervirens L. : Seaside Goldenrod, Beach Goldenrod
Solidago sempervirens var. mexicana (L.) Fern. : Seaside Goldenrod
Solidago sempervirens var. sempervirens : Seaside Goldenrod
Solidago shortii Torr. & Gray : Short’s Goldenrod EN
Solidago simplex Kunth : Mt. Albert Goldenrod
Solidago simplex subsp. randii (Porter) Ringius : Rand’s Goldenrod
Solidago simplex subsp. randii var. gillmanii (Gray) Ringius : Rand’s Goldenrod
Solidago simplex subsp. randii var. monticola (Porter) Ringius : Rand’s Goldenrod
Solidago simplex subsp. randii var. ontarioensis (Ringius) Ringius : Ontario Goldenrod
Solidago simplex subsp. randii var. racemosa (Greene) Ringius : Rand’s Goldenrod
Solidago simplex subsp. randii var. randii (Porter) Kartesz & Gandhi : Rand’s Goldenrod
Solidago simplex subsp. simplex : Mt. Albert Goldenrod
Solidago simplex subsp. simplex var. nana (Gray) Ringius : Dwarf Goldenrod
Solidago simplex subsp. simplex var. simplex : Mt. Albert Goldenrod
Solidago simplex subsp. simplex var. spathulata (DC.) Cronq. : Mt. Albert Goldenrod
Solidago simulans Fern. : Fall Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa Nutt. : Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa var. erecta (Pursh) MacM. : Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa var. jejunifolia (Steele) Cronq. : Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa var. pallida Porter :Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa var. rigidiuscula Torr. & Gray : Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa var. speciosa : Showy Goldenrod
Solidago spectabilis (D.C. Eat.) Gray : Nevada Goldenrod
Solidago spectabilis var. confinis (Gray) Cronq. : Nevada Goldenrod
Solidago spectabilis var. spectabilis : Nevada Goldenrod
Solidago spathulata : Mountain Goldenrod
Solidago sphacelata Raf. : Autumn Goldenrod
Solidago spithamaea M.A. Curtis : Blue Ridge Goldenrod
Solidago squarrosa Nutt. : Stout Goldenrod, Big Goldenrod
Solidago stricta Ait. : Wand Goldenrod
Solidago tortifolia Ell. : Twistleaf Goldenrod
Solidago tenuifolia : Slender Goldenrod
Solidago uliginosa Nutt. : Bog Goldenrod
Solidago uliginosa var. levipes (Fern.) Fern. : Bog Goldenrod
Solidago uliginosa var. linoides (Torr. & Gray) Fern. : Bog Goldenrod
Solidago uliginosa var. terrae-novae (Torr. & Gray) Fern. : Bog Goldenrod
Solidago uliginosa. var. uliginosa : Bog Goldenrod
Solidago ulmifolia Muhl. ex Willd. : Elmleaf Goldenrod
Solidago ulmifolia var. microphylla Gray : Elmleaf Goldenrod
Solidago ulmifolia var. palmeri Cronq. : Palmer’s Goldenrod
Solidago ulmifolia var. ulmifolia : Elmleaf Goldenrod
Solidago velutina DC. : Threenerve Goldenrod
Solidago verna M.A. Curtis : Springflowering Goldenrod
Solidago virgaurea : Goldenrod, Aaronâ€™s Rod
Solidago wrightii Gray : Wright’s Goldenrod
Solidago wrightii var. adenophora Blake : Wright’s Goldenrod
Solidago wrightii var. wrightii : Wright’s Goldenrod

Natural hybrids
Solidago Ã— asperula Desf. (S. rugosa Ã— S. sempervirens)
Solidago Ã— beaudryi Boivin (S. rugosa Ã— S. uliginosa)
Solidago Ã— erskinei Boivin (S. canadensis Ã— S. sempervirens)
Solidago Ã— ovata Friesner (S. sphacelata Ã— S. ulmifolia)

Resources:
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/g/golrod26.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldenrod