Goldenrod
(Solidago spp.)
Adopted in 1942.
The State flower is the Goldenrod,
Solidago spp. It was adopted in
1942. The Goldenrod is a beautiful and
hearty plant is happy to move to a
decorative place no other plants want to
be. It is often blamed for allergies in
Kentucky, but the Goldenrod is actually
harmless. The allergic reactions
Kentuckians experience are due to the
Ragweed which blooms at the same time
and grows in the same areas.
The golden plumes of this wildflower line Kentucky's roadsides in the
fall. Native to all of Kentucky, 30 of
nearly 100 species of this herb are
found here.
The large number of species and
variations make this genus very
difficult resolve to the species. The
Goldenrods as a group are well know and
very common turning fallow fields and
meadows yellow every fall. Goldenrods
are mostly an American genus with the
greatest number of species found in the
Southeastern U.S.
Kentucky Revised Statutes
2.090 State flower.
The goldenrod is the official Flower
of Kentucky.
Effective: October 1, 1942
History: Recodified 1942 Ky. Acts ch.
208, sec. 1, effective October 1,
1942, from Ky.
Stat. sec. 4618o.
- Plant Type: This is a
Native herbaceous plant perennial
forb. Ususlly erect and often tall.
- Leaves: The leaves are
alternate. Most leaves are toothed
but a few species have entire
leaves.
- Flowers: Blooms
July-October. The flowers have
numerous parts. They are yellow
sometimes white. Blooms first appear
in mid summer and continue into mid
fall. The center and rays are
yellow. The rays are few, seldom
more than ten. Groups of flowers are
often clustered on the top edge of
branches near or at the top of the
plant.
- Habitat: Various
- Range: Most all of North
America
Taxonomic Hierarchy
|
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 |
Solidago L. –
goldenrod |
|