Stiff Goldenrod

Solidago rigida

Stiff Goldenrod (Solidago rigida) is a native perennial with flat-topped clusters of bright yellow flower heads and thick, rough, grayish leaves. It blooms from late July into October, mostly in August and September, on dry prairie, meadows and open pine woods in the Black Hills, where four other common goldenrods, Missouri, Canada, Giant and Gray, bloom alongside it.

Free photos from other sources

Stiff Goldenrod: Flat-topped clusters of bright yellow flower heads — Solidago rigida. Parker Hopkins, CC0 1.0. Get it at the source

Stiff Goldenrod: Whole plant with large basal leaves and two flat-topped flower clusters — Solidago rigida. Parker Hopkins, CC0 1.0. Get it at the source

Stiff Goldenrod: Large, thick, oval basal leaves on long stalks, the plant in bud — Solidago rigida. Jane Weeden, CC BY 4.0, resized. Get it at the source

Stiff Goldenrod: Fluffy tan seed heads held in a hand — Solidago rigida. lejones417, CC BY-SA 4.0, resized. Get it at the source

Stiff Goldenrod: Missouri Goldenrod: a plume of yellow heads above narrow, smooth leaves — Missouri Goldenrod (Solidago missouriensis). Bob Miller, CC BY 4.0, resized. Get it at the source

Stiff Goldenrod: Canada Goldenrod group: a big plume of tiny yellow heads on arching branches, held in a hand — Great Plains Late Goldenrod (Solidago altissima). Owen McElroy, CC0 1.0. Get it at the source

Stiff Goldenrod: Giant Goldenrod: a tall, leafy colony topped with yellow plumes — Giant Goldenrod (Solidago gigantea). Parker Hopkins, CC0 1.0. Get it at the source

Stiff Goldenrod: Gray Goldenrod: a narrow, one-sided wand of yellow heads on a short stem — Gray Goldenrod (Solidago nemoralis). Owen McElroy, CC0 1.0. Get it at the source

Quick facts
Family	Asteraceae · Aster
Status	Native perennial
Blooms	Late July into October, mostly August and September
Height	30–90 cm (12–35 in)
Where	Dry open prairie, meadows, open pine woods, rocky and sandy hillsides, roadsides
Also called	Stiff-leaved Goldenrod, Rigid Goldenrod, Hard-leaved Goldenrod, tȟal'ágnake (Lakota), čhaŋȟlóǧaŋ makȟá ayúblaya (Lakota), miméla waȟčázi (Lakota)
Synonym	Oligoneuron rigidum, Aster rigidus, Solidago rigida var. humilis, Oligoneuron rigidum var. humile, Oligoneuron canescens, Solidago canescens, Solidago parvirigida
Traditional use	Sitting Bull College's 1998 Culturally Important Plants of the Lakota says Stiff Goldenrod leaves were laid on the ground as a plate to keep meat clean, and that a tea of Missouri Goldenrod was taken for stomachache, influenza and sore throat.
Note	This page also covers Missouri Goldenrod (Solidago missouriensis), Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis in the broad sense), Giant Goldenrod (Solidago gigantea) and Gray Goldenrod (Solidago nemoralis).

Roots, seeds & germination

Root: A thick, woody, branching crown with short rhizomes, so it grows in loose clumps rather than spreading colonies. On North Dakota prairie the main roots run sideways 30–46 cm (12–18 in) and then down to 1.5–1.8 m (5–6 ft). Fire kills the tops, but it sprouts again from the crown.

Seed: A small, ribbed achene (a dry, one-seeded fruit) about 1–2.5 mm long, with a tuft of white to light brown bristles that carries it on the wind. Seed ripens in September and October, and the fluffy heads hang on into early winter.

Germination: Seed needs about 60 days of cold, moist stratification, then sprouts in one to two weeks. SDSU notes it also needs light, so it is sown on or barely under the surface, and sowing in late fall lets winter do the stratifying. Plants can also be divided in spring or fall.

How do you identify Stiff Goldenrod?

Stiff Goldenrod is the only yellow goldenrod in the Hills with a flat-topped cluster: heads packed into a flat or slightly domed top 3–13 cm (1–5 in) across, each head about 1 cm (⅜ in) across with 6–13 short rays. Its leaves are thick, firm and grayish, rough with short stiff hairs and not sharply toothed, and large oval basal leaves on long stalks are still there at flowering. The other goldenrods on this page carry small heads in plumes or wands. Missouri Goldenrod has a smooth stem and narrow, smooth leaves and blooms first, from July. Canada and Giant Goldenrod are tall colony-formers with sharply toothed, three-veined leaves, Canada with a hairy stem and Giant with a smooth, often waxy one. Gray Goldenrod is short and gray-hairy, with a narrow, one-sided wand.

When does it bloom?

Late July into October, mostly August and September.

Where does it grow?

Full sun on dry to medium, often sandy, gravelly or eroded soil: open prairie, mountain meadows, grassy clearings in ponderosa pine, rocky hillsides and roadsides. The 1986 plant survey of Jewel Cave National Monument lists it as Solidago rigida var. humilis, NPSpecies lists it at Wind Cave, Mount Rushmore and Devils Tower, and herbarium specimens from 1875 on come from Lawrence, Pennington, Custer, Meade and Fall River counties and Crook County, Wyoming. Of the others, Missouri Goldenrod is the most widespread, Canada Goldenrod favors moister meadows and draws, Giant Goldenrod grows along streams, and Gray Goldenrod grows on dry, sandy or gravelly ground.