FNPS Plant Database

Solidago leavenworthii

Leavenworth's goldenrod
  • Photo by: Roger Hammer, Dade Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

Leavenworth's goldenrod

Synonym(s):

Solidago chapmanii

Genus species:

Solidago leavenworthii

Family:

Asteraceae (Compositae)

Plant Specifics

Form:

Herb

Size:

Up–4 ft tall. , Small clones

Life Span:

long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

yellow

Fruit Color:

white

Phenology:

Flowers summer-fall

Noted For:

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Wildflower garden especially toward the back where height won't be an issue.

Considerations:

Availability:

Propagation:

Seed or cuttings.

Light:

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Not wet but not extremely dry -to- Short very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding

Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salt

Soil or Other Substrate:

Soil pH:

Adaptable from mildly acidic to mildly alkaline

Suitable to Grow In:

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Vouchered In:

Distribution
Vouchered
Not vouchered
Selected
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No county distribution is available for this plant yet.
Starting…
Map coded by Melissa Fernandez-de Cespedes (Paynes Prairie Chapter)

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Butterflies, Birds

Used for nectar by butterflies. Attracts a wide variety of pollinators, especially bees. Chauliognathus pensylvanicus is one or the many goldenrod pollinators (FL Wildflower Foundation). Is a larval food for some lepidopterans, mostly moths.

Songbirds such as goldfinches and sparrows eat the seeds, and mice and deer browse the foliage and flowers. Birds feed on the insects collecting pollen and nectar. Provides cover for many small animals including but not limited to lizzards, skinks, snakes, and mice.

Native Habitats:

Typically a plant of mesic flatwoods

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

The leaves can be used to make a tea. Goldenrods are not a cause of hay fever. They got the blame for ragweed which blooms at the same time of year.

General Comments:

This forms clumps but does not form large clones, which means it will not take over a garden.
FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

Gann, G.D., C.J. Abbott, C.G. Stocking, K.N. Hines, and collaborators. (2001+). Plant Name [in] Natives For Your Neighborhood. ( https://www.regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/plantdetail.asp?tx=XXXXXX ). Accessed 2026. The Institute for Regional Conservation. Delray Beach, FL.


Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. (2025). Plant Database: Scientific name (Common name). ( https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=XXXX ). Accessed 2026. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX.


Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. (2025). Flora of the southeastern United States Web App. ( https://fsus.ncbg.unc.edu/ ). University of North Carolina Herbarium, North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, NC.

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