#solidago sempervirens

[aisling-saoirse]

If you're in a major East Coast city keep an eye out for our Salt Tolerant Native Powerhouse: Seaside Goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens)

[aisling-saoirse]

Seaside Goldenrod - Solidago sempervirens

I found this beauty basically at the edge of high tide, 40 years ago there used to be a sizable beach community on Moores Beach, through comprehensive storm and sea level rise that community is now about 50' into the surf. Aside from the occasional brick and electrical wire no trace remains, often growing in that debris is Seaside Goldenrod

Seaside Goldenrod is a rather showy extremophile, occupying literal Beach dune constantly subject to salt and wave action. Like all Goldenrods, it produces plumes of yellow flowers from August-October. These plumes are triggered by increasing dark periods and it's native habitat range and flowering time coincides with the monarch butterfly's migration along the Atlantic coastal flyway. These plants are perennials, they can reach my height up to 6 feet! Seeds require no stratification and can just be sown immediately (try it at home).

I've found the stems and leaves to feel more succulent like on this goldenrod (given the dry saline conditions its not surprising). Ecology wise Goldenrods are always a powerhouse, not only do they serve as excellent pollinator food sources and beach dune erosion control (along side american beachgrass) they provide nesting habitats for migratory shorebirds like piping plover and kill deer.

The native range of seaside Goldenrod is coastal areas and salt marshes from Maine to Texas, occasionally colonizing our salty highways (which is way more beneficial than the typical phramite if I'm being honest).

There are no known ethnobotanical uses for seaside Goldenrod specifically, however, other scented Goldenrod flowers make a lovely tea. I would personally never attempt a tea with these flowers because they aren't fragrant and are usually packed with bees throught the fall!

[dendroica]

Seaside Goldenrod, Solidago sempervirens (by me)

[restorationlandscapes]

[dendroica]

Seaside Goldenrod (by Dendroica cerulea)

[dendroica]

Seaside Goldenrod (by Dendroica cerulea)