Alternate name: Hard-leaf Flat-top Goldenrod

Family: Asteraceae, Aster view all from this family

Description Native herbaceous perennial; semi-evergreen.
Habit: tall, coarse, with unbranched hairy stem.
Height: 1-5 ft (30-150 cm).
Leaf: light green, roughly oval, rounded at tip, with very fine hairs; in basal rosette, held upright, to 10 in (20 cm) long and 5 in (12 cm) wide; upper leaves alternate, smaller, clasping, stiff.
Flower: tiny, erect, dark yellow bell-shaped flowerhead, 1/4-1/2 in (6-12 mm) wide; held in dense, rounded or flat-topped, terminal cluster, 2-6 in (5-15 cm) wide; mildly fragrant.
Fruit: dry seed, with small tufts of white or light brown hair.

Flower August to October.

Habitat Prairies, thickets, and open woods.

Range Native to central and eastern North America, Massachusets to Florida, west to New Mexico, north to Alberta;.

Discussion Also known as: stiff goldenrod, stiff-leaf goldenrod, prairie goldenrod. Now rare in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic; listed as endangered, threatened, or extinct from Rhode Island to Maryland. This is a deep-rooted and handsome species. There are similar species with relatively broad leaves and flat-topped clusters in eastern North America, but this is the only one with hairy stems.