Solidago multiradiata Ait.
Goldenrod.
Asteraceae (Compositae), daisy family.
Hort. Kew. ed.1, 3: 218. 1789.
Type: Canada: Labrador, 1765, leg. Moravian missionaries, possibly Schloezer
(BM) holotype.
.
Solidago multiradiata var. arctica (DC.) Fernald
Solidago cultleri Fernald
Solidago virgaurea L. var.
arctica DC.
Vegetative morphology. Plants perennial herbs; 5–20 cm high (-30 cm high, Continental North America.); with tufted erect or ascending flowering stems, oblanceolate sessile leaves, and corymbose inflorescences of yellow flowering heads. Taproot present. Caudex present (sometimes much branched). Ground-level or under-ground stems vertical and often branched, or not developed horizontally or vertically; rhizomatous (subligneous); elongate, or compact; 1.5–6 mm wide. Aerial stems erect; sparsely hairy (at the base), or densely hairy (near the inflorescence); stem hairs appressed, or spreading. Leaves heterophyllous (basal leaves with petioles; upper leaves without), or not heterophyllous (leaves similar in shape); in a basal tuft, or distributed along the stems; alternate; simple; existing for a single season or less, or marcescent. Petioles present (basal leaves), or absent (flowering stem); 0–30 mm long (if applicable); winged, or unwinged; flat; hairy; woolly (on the margins); hairs more than the diameter of the petiole. Petioles hairs spreading; floccose. Leaf blade bases attenuate. Blades 15–50(–120) mm long (CAN 100889); 5–10(–20) mm wide. Blades spreading; lanceolate, or oblanceolate, or obovate; flat; veins pinnate, or veins palmate (prominently reticulate between the veins on the abaxial surface). Blades adaxial surface glabrous. Blades abaxial surface glabrous. Blade margins entire, or serrulate; with non-glandular hairs (that vary from short and curved to long and floccose); with teeth toward the apex (if applicable). Leaf apices acute, or obtuse.
Reproductive morphology. Flowering stems present. Flowering stems without leaves; hairy. Flowering stem hairs villous; simple; shorter than the diameter of the flowering stem; white or translucent. Flowers in inflorescences. Inflorescence of several flowering heads (in a dense corymb); globose or subglobose; 15–20(–30) mm wide. Capitula 9–10 mm deep. Capitula 9–10 mm wide. Pedicels absent. Involucral bracts present; number of rows 2. Outer involucral bracts blade surface flat; mostly green; lying adjacent to the flowers; lanceolate; glabrous (or almost so); 2.5–3.5 mm high; 0.4–1.1 mm wide. Inner involucral bracts apex entire; lanceolate; margins at the most with narrow and scarious, less than one quarter of the bract; 5–7 mm high; 0.6–1 mm wide. With ray and disc florets. Flowers actinomorphic (disc florets), or zygomorphic (ray florets). Calyx modified to a pappus. Calyx accrescent. Pappus with a single row of hairs. Ray floret pappus 4.5–5 mm long. Disc floret pappus 4.5–5 mm long. Petals fused; 5; yellow; 5–5.5 mm long. Corolla tubular, or funnel-form (disc florets), or ligulate; 5-lobed (disc florets). Ray florets 10–20. Ray florets limb 6.5–7.5 mm long; 1–1.5 mm wide. Flowers unisexual (ray florets), or bisexual (disc florets). Stamens 5. Anthers yellow; 1.5–2 mm long. Gynoecia inferior. Carpels syncarpous; 2. Styles 1; 5.5–6 mm long. Stigmas per style 2; strap-like lobes. Placentation basal. Ovules 1. Fruit sessile. Fruit with calyx persisting; dry; cypselas; clavate, or urceolate; indehiscent. Fruit 2–2.5 mm long; 0.3–0.5 mm wide (specimens from Continental North America); yellowish, or brown; hairy; surface appearing veinless. Seeds 1.
Chromosome information. 2n = 18 and 36. 18 (2x).
- Anderson et al. (1974); Semple (1981 northern USA); Morton (1981); Löve
and Löve (1982a arctic Canada); Semple et al. (1984, 1989, 1992); Chinnappa
and Chmielewski (1987 western North America); Semple and Chmielewski (1987);
Keil et al. (1988).
36 (4x). - Johnson and Packer (1968
northwestern Alaska, within the range of this subspecies); Dawe and Murray
(1979, 1981b central Alaska, both within the range of this subspecies); Keil
(1979); Morton (1981); Semple (1985); Chinnappa and Chmielewski (1987 W North
America); Semple et al. (1989).
Numerous other counts for both ploidy
levels. Ploidy levels recorded 2x&4x.
Distribution. Northern hemisphere distribution: amphi-Beringian; Canada, United States, Eurasia. Yukon, Northwest Territories Islands, Continental Northwest Territories, Northern Québec, Alaska. Low arctic. Range in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago limited. Rare (single record from Victoria Island, Porsild (1957). Voucher not found at CAN). Arctic Islands: Baffin, Banks, Victoria. Widely distributed subarctic American species ranging from Alaska to Labrador. Porsild (1957).
Ecology and habitat. Elevation 1500 m (4500 ft) in Canada N.W.T., Mackenzie Mountains CAN 264985. Substrates: tundra, slopes, ridges, dry meadows; dry; rocks, gravel.
Notes. Solidago multiradiata was found to be an early colonizer
of oil spills in Alaska (Kershaw and Kershaw 1986).
Gilbert and Cooke (2001)
included S. multiradiata in a review study of dyes from plants: Past
usage, present understanding and potential, noting that before the synthesis of
dyes from by-products of the petrochemical industry, all colour was derived from
natural sources, including plants. The authors stated that as the awareness of
the need to preserve our natural resources increases and work is done towards
achieving this, interest is growing in finding renewable resources, which can be
used as alternatives. Recent work, to discover whether it is possible to use
plants as commercially viable sources of dyes, has highlighed a significant
resource, which would benefit both industrial production and consumer choice.
However, because of the multiplicity of products available, customer expectation
is very high. This means that in order to satisfy this demand for high quality
and choice, the plants in question must be studied more closely to allow
breeding of useful lines and improved economic returns.
Illustrations. • Close-up of plant. Habitus in flower. Alaska: Alaska Range, Kantishna, Eldorado Creek. July 1998. Photographed by R.Elven. No voucher. • Close-up of flowering plant. Flowering plant in alpine situation. Alaska: Alaska Range, Donelly Dome. July 1998. Photographed by R.Elven. No voucher. • Arctic Island Distribution.
Cite this publication as: ‘S.G. Aiken, M.J. Dallwitz, L.L. Consaul, C.L. McJannet, L.J. Gillespie, R.L. Boles, G.W. Argus, J.M. Gillett, P.J. Scott, R. Elven, M.C. LeBlanc, A.K. Brysting and H. Solstad. 1999 onwards. Flora of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval. Version: 29th April 2003. http://www.mun.ca/biology/delta/arcticf/’. Dallwitz (1980) and Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993, 1995, 2000) should also be cited (see References).
