This is one of the smallest goldenrods, which blooms later than most. It can be distinguished from other goldenrods that occur in the prairies of Illinois by the presence of winged leaflets along the central stem and small white hairs on both the stem and leaves. Also, the inflorescence is usually more narrow and wand-like than the others.

This native perennial plant is unbranched and about ½-2½' tall. The central stem is reddish or greyish green, and covered with short white hairs, often in lines. Usually, this stem has winged leaflets at the axils of the upper leaves. The pubescent alternate leaves are up to 4" long and ¾" across, becoming smaller as they ascend the stem. They are greyish green, lanceolate or (more often) oblanceolate, and taper to a petiole-like narrow base. Their margins are smooth or slightly serrate. The narrow inflorescence is shaped like a wand, becoming wider in the middle, and has a tendency to nod. It has numerous yellow compound flowers that each measure about ¼" across. In each compound flower, there are 4-10 ray florets surrounding the disk florets. The blooming period occurs during the fall and lasts about a month. The flowers occasionally have a slight fragrance. Later, the achenes develop with tufts of hair and are dispersed by the wind. The root system consists of a branching caudex (particularly on older plants) and rhizomes. At suitable locations, Field Goldenrod has a tendency to form colonies.

Solidago nemoralis Aiton:
Canada (North America)
United States (North America)

Canada

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Field Goldenrod occurs in most counties of Illinois, where it is occasional to locally common (see Distribution Map). Habitats include dry areas of black soil prairies, gravel prairies, sand prairies, hill prairies, bluffs, thickets, black oak savannas, sand dunes, fence rows, abandoned worn-out fields, eroded clay banks, and areas along railroads. In some Western states, this plant can be a troublesome weed, but in Illinois it occurs primarily in more marginal habitats.

The arrays can be elongate with ends bent nearly 90–180°.

Plants 20–100 cm; caudices short-branched. Stems 1–6(–10) , erect, short-canescent (hairs ascending to appressed). Leaves: basal and proximal cauline tapering to long, winged petioles, blades spatulate-ovate to oblanceolate, 20–95 × 7–15 mm, margins crenate to entire, apices acute, faces densely puberulent; mid and distal cauline (sometimes subtending axillary tufts of lateral branch leaves) sessile, blades linear-oblance-olate, 16–45 × 3–7 mm, reduced distally, margins entire. Heads 10–300, secund, in wandlike pyramidal, paniculiform arrays, secund to apically recurved, 8–25 × 2.5–10 cm, sometimes proximal branches elongate, repeating pattern. Peduncles 2–3.5 mm, bracteoles 0–4, linear. Involucres narrowly campanulate, 2.6–5.8 mm. Phyllaries in 3 series, ovate to linear-lanceolate, unequal, outer acute, inner obtuse. Ray florets 5–11; laminae 2.8–5.5 × 0.3–0.7 mm. Disc florets 3–10; 2.5–4.6 mm, lobes 0.4-0.6 mm. Cypselae (obconic) 0.5–2 mm, strigose; pappi 2–4 mm.

Field Goldenrod occurs in most counties of Illinois, where it is occasional to locally common (see Distribution Map). Habitats include dry areas of black soil prairies, gravel prairies, sand prairies, hill prairies, bluffs, thickets, black oak savannas, sand dunes, fence rows, abandoned worn-out fields, eroded clay banks, and areas along railroads. In some Western states, this plant can be a troublesome weed, but in Illinois it occurs primarily in more marginal habitats.

Solidago nemoralis (Field Goldenrod)
(Bees collect pollen or suck nectar, flies & beetles feed on pollen or suck nectar; other insects suck nectar; some observations are from Reed, Evans, and Krombein et al. as indicated below, otherwise they are from Robertson)

Bees (long-tongued)
Apidae (Apinae): Apis mellifera sn cp fq (Rb, Ev); Apidae (Bombini): Bombus affinis (Re), Bombus auricomus sn, Bombus griseocallis (Re), Bombus impatiens sn (Rb, Ev, Re), Bombus pensylvanica sn, Bombus ternarius (Re), Bombus vagans (Re); Anthophoridae (Ceratinini): Ceratina sp. (Re), Ceratina dupla dupla sn (Rb, Ev) fq; Anthophoridae (Epeolini): Epeolus scutellaris sn (Re), Triepeolus cressonii cressonii sn; Anthophoridae (Eucerini): Melissodes rustica (Re); Megachilidae (Megachilini): Megachile brevis brevis sn cp, Megachile latimanus (Re), Megachile mendica (Ev), Megachile pugnatus (Re); Megachilidae (Trypetini): Heriades leavitti sn cp

Bees (short-tongued)
Halictidae (Halictinae): Agapostemon virescens (Ev), Augochlorella aurata sn, Augochloropsis metallica metallica (Re), Augochloropsis sumptuosa (Re), Halictus ligatus sn, Halictus rubicunda (Ev), Lasioglossum illinoensis sn, Lasioglossum lineatulus (Re), Lasioglossum pectoralis sn (Rb, Ev), Lasioglossum pilosus pilosus (Ev, Re), Lasioglossum versatus sn cp fq, Lasioglossum vierecki (Re), Paralictus platyparius sn; Halictidae (Sphecodini): Sphecodes sp. sn (Re); Colletidae (Colletinae): Colletes americana sn cp fq, Colletes compactus sn cp fq, Colletes eulophi sn cp, Colletes mandibularis (Re), Colletes simulans armata sn cp fq olg (Rb, Ev, Re); Colletidae (Hylaeinae): Hylaeus mesillae sn fq, Andrenidae (Andreninae): Andrena accepta (Kr), Andrena asteris sn cp (Rb, Kr), Andrena hirticincta cp olg (Re), Andrena nubecula sn cp fq olg, Andrena placata cp olg (Re), Andrena simplex cp olg (Re, Kr); Andrenidae (Panurginae): Heterosarus andrenoides sn cp, Heterosarus compositarum sn, Heterosarus nebrascensis (Re)

Wasps
Sphecidae (Crabroninae): Ectemnius lapidarius (Re), Ectemnius rufifemur, Lestica confluentus fq, Oxybelus mexicanus; Sphecidae (Larrinae): Ancistromma distincta; Sphecidae (Pemphredoninae): Mimesa denticulata; Sphecidae (Philanthinae): Cerceris clypeata, Cerceris deserta (Re), Cerceris finitima, Cerceris kennicottii, Philanthus bilunatus (Re), Philanthus gibbosus, Philanthus politus (Re); Sphecidae (Sphecinae): Ammophila kennedyi, Ammophila pictipennis, Ammophila procera; Tiphiidae: Myzinum maculata (Re), Myzinum quinquecincta (Re); Vespidae: Polistes annularis fq, Polistes carolina, Polistes fuscata fq (Rb, Re), Vespula vidua (Re); Vespidae (Eumeninae): Ancistrocerus adiabatus (Rb, Re), Ancistrocerus catskill, Euodynerus foraminatus (Rb, Re), Stenodynerus anormis, Stenodynerus histrionalis; Pompilidae: Anoplius sp. (Re), Anoplius illinoensis, Anoplius marginatus, Aporus niger, Ceropales fulvipes, Ceropales maculata; Chrysididae: Ceratochrysis perpulchra; Braconidae: Chelonus sericeus (Rb, Re)

Flies
Syrphidae: Dasysyrphus venustus sn, Eristalis dimidiatus (Re), Eupeodes americanus sn fp, Sphaerophoria contiqua sn, Spilomyia longicornis sn, Syritta pipiens sn fp (Rb, Re), Toxomerus geminatus sn; Bombyliidae: Exoprosopa caliptera (Re), Sparnopolius confusus sn, Systropus macer sn; Conopidae: Thecophora occidensis sn; Tachinidae: Archytas aterrima sn, Gymnosoma fuliginosum sn, Lydina areos sn, Trichopoda pennipes sn, Xanthomelanodes arcuatus sn; Sarcophagidae: Amobia aurifrons sn fq, Blaesoxipha hunteri sn, Helicobia rapax sn, Ravinia anxia sn; Calliphoridae: Cochliomyia macellaria sn, Lucilia illustris sn, Lucilia sericata sn; Muscidae: Musca domestica sn, Neomyia cornicina sn, Stomoxys calcitrans sn; Chloropidae: Chlorops proximus sn; Tephritidae: Dioxyna picciola sn, Trupanea mevarna sn

Butterflies
Nymphalidae: Danaus plexippus; Pieridae: Colias sp. (Re), Colias philodice, Eurema lisa

Moths
Arctiidae: Utetheisa bella; Ctenuchidae: Cisseps fulvicollis (Rb, Re); Noctuidae: Helicoverpa zea

Beetles
Cantharidae: Chauliognathus pennsylvanicus sn; Cerambycidae: Megacyllene robiniae fp np; Chrysomelidae: Diabrotica longicornis sn; Coccinellidae: Coccinella novemnotata fp np; Meloidae: Epicauta pensylvanica fp np fq icp

Plant Bugs
Miridae: Lygus lineolaris; Lygaeidae: Lygaeus turcicus; Alydidae: Alydus pilosulus

In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Foodplant / parasite
Golovinomyces orontii parasitises live Solidago nemoralis

A wide range of insects visit the flowers for pollen and nectar, including long-tongued bees, short-tongued bees, Sphecid and Vespid wasps, flies, butterflies, moths, and beetles. Bee visitors include honey bees, Little Carpenter bees, Halictine bees, and Plasterer bees. Fly visitors include Syrphid flies, Tachinid flies, Flesh flies, Blow flies, and Muscid flies. The caterpillars of many moths feed on the foliage and other parts of this plant (see Moth Table), as well as other kinds of insects, including Lopidea media (Goldenrod Scarlet Plant Bug), Calopteron reticulatum (Net-Veined Beetle), Merocoris distinctus (Leaf-Footed Bug). The seeds are eaten by the Prairie Chicken and Eastern Goldfinch to a limited extent. Mammalian herbivores, such as groundhogs, rabbits, deer, and livestock, may browse on this plant occasionally, although it is not favored by them.

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species. 

 
There are 9 barcode sequences available from BOLD and GenBank.  Below is a sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species.  See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen and other sequences.
 

Download FASTA File

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 9
Species: 9
Species With Barcodes: 1

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

The preference is full sun and dry soil. Because of reduced competition, this plant thrives best in soil containing sand, clay or gravel, but will flourish in fertile soil as well. It's a good choice for difficult locations, such as slopes or areas with poor soil, where little else will grow.