I can only see a Solidago species ie Goldenrod. Which plant are you asking about? Can you give us the geographical location?

The flowering plant looks like a Euthamia spp., possibly Euthamia graminifolia, and the larger, serrated leaves at the bottom are another Solidago,(goldenrod species). Both are goldenrods.

New Hampshire. but Jay 6a Chicago named it - Euthamia graminifolia. The two types of goldenrod grow together for me and are very nice together. I knew what the Solidago was but not the other.

Thanks very much!

You're welcome! Glad to help.

Please forgive me my ignorance Jay, but I don't understand why do you say that Euthamia graminifolia is a goldenrod? l have always believed, and still do, that only Solidago species are called goldenrod.

@windberry zone5a BCCanada I'm not Jay, but I'll see if I can answer your question. Euthamnia is VERY closely allied to solidago, and depending on whether you're a lumper or a splitter, it still is a member of solidago. However, it's official designation is "euthamnia". There are some nurseries who list it as solidago, most list it as a euthamnia. To make matters more confusing, E. graminifolia is still referred to as "grass-leaved goldenrod".

John

Thank you fig_insanity. Still, in the realm of common names "Grass-leaved goldenrod" is not the same as "goldenrod", as, for example, "Mountain ash" is not the same as "Ash". I use the name Mountain ash for Sorbus aucuparia but I would not call it simply Ash.

Windberry, even within solidago, there are MANY common names that differentiate between types/species, that are no more or less descriptive than "grass-leaved goldenrod". Goldenrod isn't a particular plant, the way Mountain Ash is, but rather a type or class. There's Canadian goldenrod, common goldenrod (who knows WHAT that really is), white hair goldenrod, high plains goldenrod, rigid goldenrod, tall goldenrod, wreath goldenrod, eared goldenrod, lance-leaved goldenrod, velvety goldenrod, plumed goldenrod, mountain-, Buckley's-, early-, hairy-, grey-, Carolina-. downy-, twistleaf- and even bog-goldenrod. Those are all considered to be "goldenrod". But guess what...not all of them are (still) solidago (any more), yet you and I would probably ID them all as "goldenrod" by sight. So you shouldn't just say "goldenrod" even as a common name, unless you're being VERY general (as in, "That's some type of goldenrod", or "That's a goldenrod"), because in any given location, such as where I live, there may be 5 to 15 different species it COULD be....and it might even be a euthamnia, lol.

Thanks fig_insanity, i am beginning to be persuaded.

It's common practice in botanical circles to always refer to Euthamia species as Grass Leaved Goldenrods. There is also Oligoneuron which was Solidago, but was remamed. Oligoneuron rigidum, formerly Solidago rigida, is still called Stiff Goldenrod, and all the newer Oligoneuron species are still called Goldenrods. There are yet a couple more Goldenrod genera that were split from Solidago, but I can't remember their names. In a pinch I'll refer to a grass leaved Goldenrod, simply as a Goldenrod. The same scenario for the asters. Aster was split into Symphyotrichum, Eurybia, Doellingeria, Ionactis, Almutaster, Eucephalus,Oreostemma, Canadanthus, ect. , but we still call them all asters. The only species still with the genus name Aster in in Europe.

@Jay 6a Chicago I didn't call it out by name, but Solidago rigida/Oligoneuron rigidum was specifically one of the goldenrods I had in mind that have suffered a split/name change, lol. But several in my list are no longer solidago, so it was just too complicated to explain all the changes individually.

And in the case of asters, I'm still mad about that one, lol.