Solidago rigida explained

Solidago rigida, known by the common names stiff goldenrod and stiff-leaved goldenrod, is a North American plant species in the family Asteraceae. It has a widespread distribution in Canada and the United States, where it is found primarily east of the Rocky Mountains. It is typically found in open, dry areas associated with calcareous or sandy soil. Habitats include prairies, savannas, and glades.

Description

Soliadgo rigida is a tall, leafy perennial. Its leathery leaves are large for a goldenrod, reaching wide and long. It produces heads of yellow flowers in the late summer and fall. Its fruit is a wind-dispersed achene.

Galls

This species is host to the following insect induced galls:

• Asphondylia s-rigida-bud-rosette-gall
• Asteromyia carbonifera (Osten Sacken, 1862)
• Gnorimoschema gibsoniella Busck, 1915
• Calycomyza solidaginis Kaltenbach, 1869^[1]

external link to gallformers

Subspecies

Subspecies

• Solidago rigida subsp. glabrata (E.L.Braun) S.B.Heard & Semple – southeastern + south-central U.S.
• Solidago rigida subsp. humilis (Porter) S.B.Heard & Semple – central + western Canada, central + western United States as far west as the Rocky Mountains
• Solidago rigida subsp. rigida – Ontario, central + eastern U.S.

Conservation

This species is considered by NatureServe to be globally "secure" (G5), which is the lowest level of conservation concern assigned.^[2] However, it is known to be rare on the local level, due to its declining grassland habitat. It is listed as endangered in Connecticut,^[3] New Jersey and Pennsylvania. It is listed as endangered and extirpated in Maryland, as threatened in New York, and as historical in Rhode Island.

Native American ethnobotany

The Ojibwe use a decoction of root as an enema,^[4] and take an infusion of the root to treat "stoppage of urine".^[5] The Meskwaki make the flowers into a lotion and use them on bee stings and for swollen faces.^[6]

Notes and References

1. Kaltenbach . J.H. . Die deutschen Phytophagen aus der Klasse der Insekten [concl.] . Verh. Naturh. Ver. Preuss. Rheinl. . 1869 . 26 . 3, 6 . 106-224.
2. http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=OLIGONEURON+RIGIDUM+ Oligoneuron rigidum
3. http://www.ct.gov/deep/lib/deep/wildlife/pdf_files/nongame/ets15.pdf "Connecticut's Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Species 2015"
4. Densmore, Frances, 1928, Uses of Plants by the Chippewa Indians, SI-BAE Annual Report #44:273-379, page 364 (Note: This source comes from the Native American ethnobotany database (http://naeb.brit.org/) which lists the plant as Oligoneuron rigidum var. rigidum. Accessed 19 January 2018
5. Densmore, Frances, 1928, Uses of Plants by the Chippewa Indians, SI-BAE Annual Report #44:273-379, page 348 (Note: This source comes from the Native American ethnobotany database (http://naeb.brit.org/) which lists the plant as Oligoneuron rigidum var. rigidum. Accessed 19 January 2018
6. Smith, Huron H., 1928, Ethnobotany of the Meskwaki Indians, Bulletin of the Public Museum of the City of Milwaukee 4:175-326, page 217218 (Note: This source comes from the Native American ethnobotany database (http://naeb.brit.org/) which lists the plant as Oligoneuron rigidum var. rigidum. Accessed 19 January 2018