Distinctive features:
Very hairy stem. Flowers sparse up stem. Individual flowers relatively large.
Similar species: Blue-stemmed Goldenrod (Solidago caesia) - also has flowers in small clumps up the stem, but stem is very smooth. Gray Goldenrod (Solidago nemoralis) - also has a downy stem, but is much smaller. Bog Goldenrod (Solidago uliginosa) - does not have a hairy stem. Silverrod (Solidago bicolor) - white flowers.
The overall shape and form of the plant is narrow. The photos on this page were taken in mid August on the Bruce Peninsula. Hairy Goldenrod occurs here and there throughout Ontario.
Sometimes the stem branches, as shown here.
A patch of Hairy Goldenrod alongside a trail.
Three photos of the obviously hairy stem.
Flower buds (late August).
Closeup view of flower buds.
Flowers.
Note that the flowers are fairly large, and spread out along the stem.
Close-up view of the flowers.
A lower stem leaf. The leaves of Hairy Goldenrod are hairy as well.
Basal leaves are still present when the plant is flowering.
PLEASE NOTE: A coloured Province or State means this species occurs somewhere in that Province/State.
The entire Province/State is coloured, regardless of where in that Province/State it occurs.
(Range map provided courtesy of the USDA website
and is displayed here in accordance with their
Policies)