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Stiff Goldenrod (Solidago rigida L.)

Also classified as Oligoneuron rigidum (L.) Small.

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Range
Habitat
Uses
Links
Photos

Photo © Dominique Menard, CC BY 4.0.

↑Range - Expand

Legend	Color
Native
Native or Not Present

This tentative map is based on our own research. It may have limited data on Canada and/or Mexico, and there is some subjectivity in our assignment of plants as introduced vs. expanded. Read more in this blog post.

Although this plant occurs somewhere in each of these regions, it may only occur in a small part of some or all of them.

↑Habitat

Stiff goldenrod is found in a wide variety of open, sunny, grass-dominated habitats and is strongly associated with prairie plant communities. Natural habitats include prairies, savannas, and limestone barrens. Anthropogenic habitats include abandoned fields, roadsides, railroad tracks, and under powerline clearances. In the more humid east and southeast, it becomes uncommon to rare, and restricted to barren and rock outcroppings over mafic or calcareous rocks.

Stiff goldenrod has a high need for high-light conditions and soil mineral content, but is less picky about moisture conditions, soil texture, and other aspects of soil conditions. It prefers full sun and is less tolerant of overhead shade than even most other goldenrods. It tolerates sandy, rocky, clayey, and loamy soil textures and various mixes thereof. In the Great Plains it is often found on loess soils as well.

It is often found on sites with some history of disturbance, either natural (from drought or fire) or anthropogenic (such as mowing.)

↑Uses

This species is occasionally grown in gardens, where it is valued for its showy blooms, drought-tolerance, deer-resistance, and being generally easy to grow in a wide range of conditions so long as it has sufficient sun. It is probably under-utilized. One limiting factor in gardens is that it can sometimes have a tendency to flop over if grown in isolation in rich, moist soils, and it can also be attacked by powdery mildew if grown on sites with poor air circulation.