About Solidago flexicaulis L.
Solidago flexicaulis, commonly known as broadleaved goldenrod or zigzag goldenrod, is a North American herbaceous perennial plant species belonging to the family Asteraceae. It is native to eastern and central regions of the United States and Canada, with its range extending from Nova Scotia west to Ontario and the Dakotas, and south as far as Alabama and Louisiana. This species grows in a wide variety of habitats, including mesic upland forests, well-drained floodplain forests, seepage swamp hummocks, and rocky woodlands. It receives the common name "zigzag goldenrod" from its thin, wiry stem that zigs and zags back and forth, changing direction at each node, the point where leaves attach to the stem. The plant can produce up to 250 small yellow flower heads; some grow at the tip of the stem, while others develop in the axils of the leaves. Its leaves are very broad, nearly round in shape, with an elongated pointed tip and large teeth along the leaf margins. Solidago flexicaulis shares both physical and molecular similarities with Solidago albopilosa. Some evidence indicates that Solidago albopilosa is an ancient autopolyploid derived from Solidago flexicaulis.
