Solidago ulmifolia explained

Solidago ulmifolia, commonly known as elmleaf goldenrod, is a North American species of goldenrod in the family Asteraceae. It is found in Canada (Ontario and Nova Scotia) and the eastern and central United States (from Maine west to Minnesota, south as far as Texas and the Florida Panhandle).^[1]

Its natural habitat is thin woodlands and bluffs, often over calcareous substrates.^[2] In Florida, it is found in moist hammock communities. This species is found in both high quality and degraded habitats, such as the shaded edges of lawns and old fields.^{[3] [4]}

Description

Solidago ulmifolia is a perennial herb up to 120 cm (4 feet) tall, with a woody underground caudex. One plant can produce as many as 150 small yellow flower heads in a large, open, branching array at the top of the plant.^[5] Flowering occurs in late summer and fall.^[2]

Galls

This species is host to the following insect induced galls:

• Epiblema scudderiana (Clemens, 1860)
• Eurosta solidaginis (Fitch, 1855)
• Gnorimoschema gallaesolidaginis (Fitch, 1855)
• Gnorimoschema salinaris Busck, 1911
• Calycomyza solidaginis Kaltenbach, 1869^[6]

external link to gallformers

Taxonomy

Two varieties of Solidago ulmifolia are currently recognized. They are:^{[5] [4]}

• Solidago ulmifolia var. palmeri - with pubescent stems; primarily of the Ozarks of Arkansas and Missouri, disjunct in Mississippi.^[7]
• Solidago ulmifolia var. ulmifolia - with glabrous stems; widespread in eastern North America.

Notes and References

1. http://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Solidago%20ulmifolia.png Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
2. Web site: Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States . Alan Weakley . 2015.
3. http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/woodland/plants/elm_goldenrod.htm Solidago ulmifolia
4. Book: Yatskievych, George . 2006 . Flora of Missouri, Volume 2 . Missouri Botanical Garden Press . 146 .
5. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242417300 Flora of North America, Solidago ulmifolia Muhlenberg ex Willdenow, 1803. Elm-leaf goldenrod
6. Kaltenbach . J.H. . Die deutschen Phytophagen aus der Klasse der Insekten [concl.] . Verh. Naturh. Ver. Preuss. Rheinl. . 1869 . 26 . 3, 6 . 106-224.
7. https://uwaterloo.ca/astereae-lab/research/goldenrods/classification-and-illustrations/solidago-ulmifolia/solidago-ulmifolia-var-palmeri Asteraceae Lab at the University of Waterloo