Rough-leaved goldenrod

Plants 50–150 cm; caudices short, rhizomes creeping, elongate, thin to thick. Stems 1–3+, erect (angu-lar in cross section, sometimes winged on angles), glabrous or sparsely hairy in arrays. Leaves: basal and proximal cauline abruptly narrowed to long, winged petioles, blades broadly ovate, 100–300 × 40–100 mm, relatively thick, margins serrate, apices acute, abaxially glabrous, adaxially scabrous; distal cauline sessile, blades lanceolate, 50–80 × 15–20 mm, gradually reduced distally, subentire. Heads 25–200, secund, in open, lax, secund, pyramidal, paniculiform arrays, branches ascending to recurved, often elongate with recurved ends. Peduncles 1–4 mm, sparsely hispido-strigose, bracteoles 2–5, lanceolate, grading into phyllaries distally. Involucres 3–4.5 mm. Phyllaries (10–12) in 3–4 series, ovate to linear-ovate, unequal, obtuse. Ray florets 5–12; laminae 1.5–1.7 × 0.5 mm. Disc florets 5–15; corollas 2.8–3 mm, lobes 0.6–1.5 mm. Cypselae (sometimes mottled) 1.5–2 mm, strigillose; pappi 2–3 mm.

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora): e United States.

Solidago patula is readily recognized by the angled stem and the sharkskin-like texture of the adaxial surface of the leaves.