WILDFLOWERS OF NEW MEXICO

This small-sized species reaches 2-feet tall with small, rough, white hairs covering the leaves and stem, often has short upper branches. The plant spreads by rhizomes and can form dense clumps and colonies. Note the hairy stems, one-sided floral branches, and presence of basal leaves when flowering.

FLOWER: July–October. An arching, pyramidal array (widest in middle) of flower heads on one side of the curved floral branches crowds the stem tops. The 1/4-inch wide (6 mm) heads have 5–11 yellow, petal-like ray flowers and 3–10 yellow disk flowers. The arrays often bend into an arc.

LEAVES: Basal leaves present at flowering with long, winged petioles (stems). Alternate stem leaves. Blades, lance-shaped, 1–3-inches long (2.5–7.5 cm),  rough and hairy, margins entire, smaller towards the top. Note the 1 prominent leaf nerve, and usually small bundles of leaflets in the axils of the upper leaves.

HABITAT: Sandy, rocky soils, open areas, forest grasslands; ponderosa forests.

ELEVATION: 6,000–8,700 feet.

RANGE: Widespread in every state from the Rocky Mountains eastward.

SIMILAR SPECIES: About 17 species of nearly identical looking Goldenrods throughout NM. The widespread Three-nerve Goldenrod, S. velutina, also with one-sided floral branches and basal leaves often present when flowering, is 19–32 inches tall and has stem leaves with 3 prominent nerves.

NM COUNTIES: Central and northern NM in open mid-elevation habitats: Colfax, Lincoln, Los Alamos, Mora, Rio Arriba, San Miguel, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Taos, Torrance, Union.