Wand or wandlike or willow-leaf goldenrod

Plants 30–200 cm; caudices short, simple, rhizomes long, stoloni-form. Stems 1–5(–10) , ascending to erect (tall stems sometimes arching), branching proximal to arrays only in damaged stems, glabrous. Leaves: basal subsessile to winged-petiolate, petioles of proximalmost nearly completely sheathing stems, blades oblanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, 60–600 × 3–20(–50) mm, thick and firm, obtuse to rounded, bases tapering, margins entire or obscurely serrate, glabrous; proximal to distal cauline sessile, ascending to nearly appressed, lanceolate-oblong to linear, 10–30 × 2–4 mm, abruptly reduced proximally, then gradually so distally, margins entire, apices acute, faces glabrous. Heads 15–250 , sometimes secund on proximal branches and secund terminus, in linear, narrowly elongate paniculiform to elongate pyramidal-secund or thyrsiform-paniculiform and not secund arrays, sometimes with a few elongate proximal, arching branches. Peduncles slender, 2–10 mm, glabrous or sparsely strigillose; bracteoles linear. Involucres narrowly campanulate, 4–6 mm. Phyllaries in 3–4 series, oblong, unequal, acute to rounded, glabrous. Ray florets 3–7, 1.5–2 × ca. 0.5 mm. Disc florets usually 8–12; corollas 3–5 mm, lobes 1–1.2 mm. Cypselae 1.5–2.5 mm, sparsely to moderately strigose; pappi 3 mm.

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora): North America, Mexico, Central America.

Solidago chrysopsis is interpreted here as just a diminutive form of S. stricta growing in the Florida Keys. Solidago stricta may hybridize with S. sempervirens in locations near salt marshes. Solidago flavovirens, from brackish marshes near Apalachicola, may be this species, or perhaps a hybrid with S. sempervirens.