Bluestem Goldenrod is a Wildlflower in the Asteraceae family. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows 3 feet tall with showy clusters of yellow flowers that hug greenish-purple stems in the summer and early fall. In recent times goldenrods have been blamed for hay fever, but its irritating symptoms are actually caused by ragweed ( Ambrosia species), whose pollen is airborn when goldenrod is in flower. This speices does not spread as rapidly or aggressively as some other goldenrods. It works well planted in a native garden, cottage, butterfly, or woodland garden. Fire Risk: This plant has a medium flammability rating. Seasons of Interest: Bloom: Late Summer, Fall; Fruit/Seed/Nut: Fall Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious insect or disease problems. Rust can be an infrequent problem. This plant may be confused with: Any other goldenrod speices Solidago spp. More information on Solidago .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
3 feet-6 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 6 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Dentate
Leaf feel
Smooth
Leaf size
3-6 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Blue to purple stem; 2-5 in. smooth, slender, stalkless, toothed, sharply pointed lance-shaped leaves with feather veins; tapers at both ends
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower value
Showy
Flower detail
Scattered clusters of tiny yellow flowers with 3-5 rays form in axils of leaves along the length of the stem with terminal clusters being the largest. Blooms from August to October.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit detail
Displays from September to November
Stem color
Blue; Purple/Lavender
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Central and eastern North America
Wildlife value
This plant supports Wavy-lined Emerald (Synchlora aerata) larvae. Flowers are attractive to butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. Songbirds eat the seeds. Members of the genus Solidago support the following specialized bees: Andrena (Callandrena s.l.) asteris, Andrena (Callandrena s.l.) braccata, Andrena (Cnemidandrena) canadensis, Andrena (Cnemidandrena) hirticincta, Andrena (Cnemidandrena) nubecula, Andrena (Callandrena s.l.) simplex, Perdita (Perdita) octomaculata, Melissodes (Eumelissodes) fumosus, Colletes simulans, and Colletes solidaginis.