Canada Goldenrod, BC Coastal Region
The Canada Goldenrod grows in all areas of the BC coastal region. This is a native perennial plant with a central stem that is 0.75 to 2 meters tall. The leaves are up to 15 cm long and 2.5 cm wide, becoming slightly smaller towards the apex of the plant. The stems have lines of white hairs, while the undersides of the leaves are pubescent.
Several flowering stems emerge from the top of the plant in the form of a fan with masses of small yellow flowers in compact heads. Each flower head is less than 0.5 cm across. The flower heads occur along the upper part of each flowering stem, and sometimes have a slight fragrance.
The blooming period is from late summer to fall and individual plants typically remain in bloom about 3 weeks. The seeds have small tufts of hair, which help to provide dispersion by wind.
The root system is a fibrous creeping rhizomes that cause the plants to cluster, sometimes forming thick colonies. The preference is full to partial sun and average moisture levels. This plant will tolerate some drought, in which case it will probably drop some of its lower leaves. This plant tolerates a variety of soils, including a heavier soil with some clay mixture. During the fall, powdery mildew occasionally attacks the leaves.
A wide variety of insects visit the flowers for pollen or nectar, including bees, wasps, flies, beetles and a few butterflies and moths.
Among mammals and birds, the ruffed grouse, American Goldfinch, and the Sparrows eat the seeds, while the black Tailed Deer occasionally eat the foliage. Sometimes beavers and muskrats use the stems in their dams or dens. This is a very pretty plant, i always love running into it. Sometimes a ditch will fill with them after water flow has dispersed the seeds along the whole length.