Citizendia

For other uses, see Goldenrod (disambiguation).
Goldenrod
Inflorescences of Solidago virgaurea minuta
Inflorescences of Solidago virgaurea minuta
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Plantae
Division:Magnoliophyta
Class:Magnoliopsida
Order:Asterales
Family:Asteraceae
Tribe:Astereae
Genus:Solidago
Species

See text. Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. The flowering plants or angiosperms ( Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta) are the most widespread group Magnoliopsida is the Botanical name for a class of Flowering plants By definition the class will include the family Magnoliaceae, but its The Asterales are an order of Dicotyledonous Flowering plants which include the composite family Asteraceae ( Sunflowers daisies The family Asteraceae or Compositae (known as the aster, daisy, or sunflower family) is the largest family of Flowering Astereae is a tribe of plants in the family Asteraceae that includes annuals biennials perennials subshrubs shrubs and trees

The goldenrod is a yellow flowering plant in the Family Asteraceae. The flowering plants or angiosperms ( Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta) are the most widespread group The family Asteraceae or Compositae (known as the aster, daisy, or sunflower family) is the largest family of Flowering

Contents

Description

About 100[1] perennial species make up the genus Solidago, most being found in the meadows and pastures, along roads, ditches and waste areas in North America. A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic There are a handful of species from each of Mexico, South America, and Eurasia. [1] Some American species have also been introduced into Europe some 250 years ago.

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. Hay Fever is a comic play written by Noel Coward in 1924 and first produced in 1925 with Marie Tempest as the first Judith Bliss The pollen causing these allergy problems is mainly produced by Ragweed (Ambrosia sp. Ragweeds ( Ambrosia) also called bitterweeds and bloodweeds, are a Genus of flowering Plants from the sunflower ), 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. Pollen is a fine to coarse powder consisting of microgametophytes ( pollen grains) which produce the male Gametes (sperm cells of

Goldenrods are easily recognized by their golden inflorescence with hundreds of small capitula, but some are spike-like and other have auxiliary racemes. A raceme is a type of Inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate Flowers &mdash flowers having short

They have slender stems, usually hairless but S. A stem is one of two main structural axes of a Vascular plant. canadensis shows hairs on the upper stem. They can grow to a length between 60 cm and 1. 5 m.

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. A seed (in some plants referred to as a kernel) is a small embryonic Plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat usually with some stored In Botany, a rhizome is a horizontal stem of a Plant that is usually found underground often sending out Roots and Shoots They form patches that are actually vegetative clones of a single plant. Vegetative reproduction is a type of Asexual reproduction found in plants and is also called vegetative propagation or vegetative multiplication.

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. A larva ( Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of Animal with indirect development, undergoing Metamorphosis (for example Lepidoptera is an order of Insect that includes Moths and butterflies. Goldenrods ( Solidago spp) are used as food plants by the Larvae of a number of Lepidoptera species including Monophagous 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. Galls or plant galls are abnormal outgrowths of Plant tissues and can be caused by various Parasites from Fungi and bacteria, to Insects Parasitoid wasps have learned to find these galls, and lay eggs in the insect after penetrating the bulb. Woodpeckers have learned to blast open the gall and eat the wasp-infested insect holed up in the center. [2]

Goldenrods can be used for decoration and making tea. Tea refers to the cured agricultural product of the leaves leaf buds and internodes of Camellia sinensis, which have been prepared and cured for the market Goldenrods are, in some places, held as a sign of good luck or good fortune; but they are considered weeds by some. WEED (1390 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Spanish format

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. A short day plant is a Plant that cannot Flower under the long days of summer Honey from goldenrods often is dark and strong due to admixtures of other nectars. Honey is a sweet and Viscous fluid produced by Honey bees (and some other species and derived from the nectar of Flowers According to the However when there is a strong honey flow, a light (often water white), spicy-tasting honey is produced. Honey flow is a term used by beekeepers indicating that one or more major Nectar sources are in bloom and the weather is favorable for bees to fly and collect the Monofloral honey is a type of Honey which has a high value in the Marketplace because it has a distinctive flavor or other attribute due to its being predominantly 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. Aster ( syn Diplopappus Cass) is a Genus of Flowering plants in the family Asteraceae.

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. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Introduced species|Weed Invasive species is a phrase with several definitions

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

Canadian Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)
Canadian Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)

Industrial use

Inventor Thomas Edison experimented with goldenrod to produce rubber, which it contains naturally. Companion planting in gardening and agriculture is planting of different crops in close physical proximity on the theory that they will help each other [3] 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. The Ford Model T (colloquially known as the Tin Lizzie and also the Flivver) was an Automobile produced by Henry Ford 's Ford Henry Ford ( July 30, 1863 &ndash April 7, 1947) was the American founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of 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.

Medicinal use

The variety Solidago virgaurea is a traditional kidney tonic. It has aquaretic, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic and antiseptic action and seems to increase kidney output. An aquaretic is a class of drug that is used to promote Aquaresis. This makes it useful as an agent to counter inflammation and irritation of the kidneys when bacterial infection or stones are present. [4] 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. Herbalism is a traditional Medicinal or Folk medicine practice based on the use of Plants and Plant extracts Herbalism is also known as 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. [4] 'Solidago odora' is also sold as a medicinal, for these issues: mucus, kidney/bladder cleansing and stones, colds, digestion.

Cultural significance

The goldenrod is the state flower of the U.S. states of Kentucky (adopted March 16, 1926) and Nebraska (adopted April 4, 1895). In a number of countries plants have been chosen as symbols to represent specific geographic areas A US state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States of America that share Sovereignty with the federal government The Commonwealth of Kentucky ( is a state located in the East Central United States of America. Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Nebraska ( is a state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States and Year 1895 ( MDCCCXCV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year It used to be the state flower of Alabama, being adopted as such on September 6, 1927, but was later rejected in favour of the camellia. Alabama (formally the State of Alabama;) is a State located in the southern region of the United States of America. Year 1927 ( MCMXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Camellia ( ( Japanese: 椿 Tsubaki) is a Genus of Flowering plants in the family Theaceae, native to eastern and southern Goldenrod was recently named the state wildflower for South Carolina. South Carolina ( is a state in the southern region ( Deep South) of the United States of America.

In Midwestern states in the mid-twentieth century it was said that when the goldenrod bloomed, it would soon be time to go back to school--the blossoms appeared in mid- to late August, shortly before the traditional start of school on the day after Labor Day. Labor Day is a United States Federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September [5]

In Sufjan Stevens' song, Casimir Pulaski Day, the narrator brings goldenrod to his girlfriend upon finding out that she has been diagnosed with bone cancer. Sufjan Stevens (ˈsuːfjɑːn born July 1, 1975) is an American Singer-songwriter and Musician from Petoskey Michigan Casimir Pulaski Day is a holiday observed in Illinois on the first Monday of every March to commemorate Casimir Pulaski, a Revolutionary War Cavalry Carrie Hamby's song, Solidago, tells the story of Thomas Edison's experiments with making goldenrod a domestic source of rubber during the 2nd world war.

The Sweet Goldenrod (Solidago odora) is also the state herb of Delaware as of June 24, 1996. Delaware ( is a state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. [6]

Species

Goldenrods in rural Indiana.
Goldenrods in rural Indiana.

Natural hybrids

Note

  1. ^ a b Solidago. Flora of North America.
  2. ^ D. A. SHEALER, J. P. SNYDER, V. C. DREISBACH, D. F. SUNDERLIN, and J. A. NOVAK (July 1999). "Foraging Patterns of Eastern Gray Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) on Goldenrod Gall Insects, a Potentially Important Winter Food Resource". The American Midland Naturalist 142 (1): 102–109. doi:10.1674/0003-0031(1999)142[0102:FPOEGS2. A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document. 0. CO;2].  
  3. ^ "Goldenrod Rubber", Time Magazine, December 16, 1929. Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and  
  4. ^ a b Campion, Kitty. (1995). Holistic Woman's Herbal - How to Achieve Health and Well-Being at Any Age, ISBN 978-0760710302, "Basic Maintenance", Pg. 65, "Kidney/Bladder tincture" recipe (kidney cleansing); "Self-Monitoring: Genito-Urinary and Breast Health" Pg. 96, "Kidney/Bladder Tonic" tincture recipe (cystitis). Barnes & Noble, Inc.
  5. ^ Donna Cunningham. "Goldenrod and Other Essences for School Transitions", Vibration Magazine: The Journal of Vibrational/Flower Essences, May 2001.  
  6. ^ STATE SEAL, SONG AND SYMBOLS of Delaware

See also

External links

This is a list of undomesticated or feral plants considered Weeds yet having some positive effects or uses often being ideal as Companion plants in gardens This is a list of Companion plant relationships Many more are in List of beneficial weeds.

Dictionary

goldenrod

-noun

  1. a tall-stemmed, plant with clusters of small yellow flowers.
  2. (color) a golden-yellow colour, like that of the goldenrod plant.

-adjective

  1. (color) of a golden-yellow colour, like that of the goldenrod plant.
© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic