"Solidago sempervirens, or Seaside Goldenrod, is an herbaceous perennial wildflower often found on beaches, dunes, salt marshes, and pinelands. This plant is highly salt tolerant and deer resistant. The plant produces basal leaves topped by 2 to 8 foot stalks. The terminal or upper axillary flowering heads are dense, the lowest branches somewhat recurved. Arching branches bear one-sided clusters of large, bright yellow flower heads. Pinch the growing tips in June for a more compact plant. This goldenrod does not spread by rhizomes or become invasive.

"Goldenrods have been wrongfully accused of causing hay fever which is actually an allergic reaction to wind-borne pollen from ragweed. The Goldenrod genus contains about 120 species, most with similar characteristics. The Seaside Goldenrod may get confused with one of its cousins. This plant is deer resistant." (North Carolina Extension)

Family: Asteraceae 

Water-color sketch of Solidago Sempervirens (1896, Biodiversity Heritage Library)

Botanical illustration depicting succulent, lance-like (lanceolate) leaves of S. sempervirens that are arranged alternately along the stem. (Carnegie Mellon)

   (1)

  (2)

   (3)

(1)  Bumble Bee (Bombus impatiens) on goldenrod (Cappaert)

(2) Sweat bee (Halictus ligatus) (Gallagher)

Habitat: 

"Solidago sempervirens is well adapted to coastal habitats including the backside of primary dunes, low secondary dunes and edges of salt marshes. It can be found on dunes, beaches, brackish marshes, coastal thickets, margins of estuaries, riparian habitats and in freshwater wetlands. It also occurs in abandoned fields, grasslands, disturbed sites, forest edges and along roadsides (Sheahan, 2014; Lonard et al., 2015; Sturtevant and Howard, 2018; Barkley et al. 2018). In Puerto Rico, it can be found cultivated and naturalized in the mountains (Liogier and Martorell, 2000)." (Rojas-Sandoval)

Solidago sempervirens growing in a coastal environment. (Plant Image Library)

CC BY 2.0

CC BY 2.0