stiffgoldenrod

**__The Stiff Goldenrod!!__**


 * __ Description __**

The Stiff Goldenrod has tiny,bright yellow, daisy-like flowers that are arranged in dense, flat-topped clusters that are 3-5 inches across(4) and each flower about 1/4-1/2 inch across(3). The flowers only bloom from August to September usually. The leaves alternate along the stem and are stiff and rough hence the name the stiff goldenrod.The leaves also vary in shape but are very often oval shaped and are always blunt tipped. The stem is 2-5 feet tall and is unbranched except for the top where the flower clusters begin.


 * __ Scientific Classification(5) __**
 * Kingdom [|Plantae] – Plants ||
 * Subkingdom [|Tracheobionta] – Vascular plants ||
 * Superdivision [|Spermatophyta] – Seed plants ||
 * Division [|Magnoliophyta] – Flowering plants ||
 * Class [|Magnoliopsida] – Dicotyledons ||
 * Subclass [|Asteridae] ||
 * Order [|Asterales] ||
 * Family [|Asteraceae] – Aster family ||
 * Genus [|//Oligoneuron// Small] – goldenrod [|P] ||
 * Species [|//Oligoneuron// //rigidum// (L.) Small] – stiff goldenrod [|P] ||
 * Variety [|//Oligoneuron// //rigidum// (L.) Small var. //rigidum//] – stiff goldenrod ||


 * __ Interactions With Other Organisms in the Prairie __**

When the flowers are in bloom they attract many types of insects. Some of these include long-tongued bees, short-tongued bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, and beetles(3). They are also a Monarch Butterfly hot spot(3). Stiff Goldenrods are also a food source for many insects such as the caterpillars or several moth species, flea beetles, leafminer beetles, Spur-Throated Grasshoppers, and Lace Bugs(3). Several birds eat the seeds of the Stiff Goldenrod. A few examples would be the Greater Prairie Chicken and the Eastern Goldfinch(3). White-Tailed Deer, Cottontail Rabbits, Muskrats, and occasionally livestock are examples of mammals that also eat this plant especially when it is in the younger stages of development(3). The most notable characteristics with which to identify it by are the flat topped flower clusters and the rigid, oval leaves on the upper stem.(4) The leaves are light green with a covering of light hair giving them a felty appearance.(3) The flower clusters also do not radiate outward or form from a narrow stem as in other goldenrods(3). The individual flowers are also slightly larger than those of other goldenrods.
 * __How To Identify The Stiff Goldenrod__**

__**The Stiff Goldenrod was unjustly blamed for causing hay fever which is really caused by an allergic reaction to pollen from wind pollinated plants such as ragweed. Goldenrod pollen is too heavy and sticky to be carried far by the wind so it is mainly insect pollinated.(6) The Stiff Goldenrod is considered endangered in areas of Connectifcut, New York, and Pennsylvania.(5) Thomas Edison experimented with Goldenrod to make rubber which it naturally posses.The tires on the Model T that his friend Henry Ford gavehim were also made of goldenrod.(6) Goldenrods have been used to counter kidney inflammation and for other medicinal purposes(6). Goldenrod is the state flower for Kentucky, Nebraska, and the state wild flower for South Carolina(6)
 * __ Odds and Ends

**__References__** 1) [|**http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=OLRIR**]   2)  http://www.gardenguides.com/plants/factsheets/flowers/factsheet.asp?symbol=OLRIR 3) http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/stf_goldenrodx.htm  4) http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/oligoneuronrigi.html 5) http://plants.usda.gov/java/ClassificationServlet?source=profile&symbol=OLRIR&display=31 5) http://plants.usda.gov/java/ClassificationServlet?source=profile&symbol=OLRIR&display=31 6) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldenrod All Stiff Goldenrod pictures taken by Megan Streit on September 25, 2008