5.2 Perennials

62
PERENNIALS
Solidago L.
goldenrod, verge d'or, verge d'orde
per. -37° to -23° C 15-180 cm N(P)
Value for honey: HP4/5 16; different spp. and var. vary widely in their value to the
beekeeper, and there is little reliable information on the subject 72 . The good reputation
of goldenrods among beekeepers may be largely due to plant abundance rather than
high N secretion of individual plants .
Species suited to moist conditions do not appear to be attractive to bees when
grown on dry sites"; later flowering spp. are said to be more attractive 50 and this is
supported by several P.E.I. beekeepers a ; S. canadensis (Canadian goldenrod) and S.
occidentalis (western goldenrod) are two of the most important spp. to beekeepers in
Canada 72 .
Honey: is deep golden in colour, thick, and granulates very quickly; aroma is strong
and usually very pleasant 72 .
Notes: about 125 spp. belong to this genus and most are native to N. America and
many are common in every province of Canada"; much more ornamental use could be
made of this group in N. American gardens since the flowers are very attractive and
late flowering 5 ; plants may become weedy if the soil is too rich; more susceptible to
frosts than Aster (aster) 7'; undoubtedly most goldenrods are significant N and P
sources, but recorded information is scarce; goldenrod is often mistakenly considered a
major cause of hayfever 95 ; see Table 18.
Solidago canadensis L.
(syn. Aster canadensis Kuntze; Doria canadensis Lunen; Solidago altissima L.; S.
lepida DC.; Aster lepidus Kuntze)b
Canadian goldenrod, Canada goldenrod, verge d'or du Canada
per. -37° to -29° C Jul-Aug 30-120 cm NP
Value for honey: HP4/5 (for Solidago L.) 16; N sugar concentration 31% 94; honey sacs
of collecting bees were noted to be large (Colo.) 4 ; bees appear to work mainly on
plants growing on moist soil and plants in dry sites were largely ignored"; see
Solidago.
Honey: see Solidago.
Notes: extremely showy plants; deep yellow flower-heads compactly arranged on a
branching one-sided terminal panicle; stems clustered or solitary, very variable with
several regionally more or less differentiated types which have been considered to
represent different spp.; typical spp. (i.e. S. canadensis L.) is found naturally in moist to
dry thickets, roadsides, clearings, slopes, Nfld. to Man., S. to N.S., N.E. and etc. 23 ; ssp..
elongata (Nutt.) Keck. is found naturally in B.C. 95 ; var. gilvocanescens Rybd1. 2-3
23 ; var. hageri Fem. 23 is (yellowish-gray) is found in Sask., E. to Mich. and beyond
naturally found in sw. Que. to Mich., S. to w. N.E. and beyond Can. range 23 ; see
Solidago.
a Cosgrave, L. (1985). Personal communication.
b Cronquist, A. (1955). Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest, Part 5. University of Washington
Press, Seattle. 343 pp.