Stems covered with short-hairs, and often reddish and clump-forming from the base, reach 43 inches tall with short upper branches. Stems are lined with relatively even-sized, elliptic leaves, and topped with cylindrical to rounded spikes of yellow flower heads. Note the flower clusters grow all around the floral stems (not one-sided), and the flower stalks (peduncles) within the cluster are densely covered with short hairs.

FLOWER: June–October. Up to 140 yellow flower heads in spike-like to rounded clusters; each flower head has 6–14 small rays, 1/8 inch long (3–5 mm), around a disk packed with tiny, yellow, tubular florets. The phyllaries (bracts) beneath the flower head are densely covered with short soft hairs and sparsely to densely with gland-tipped, somewhat sticky hairs (use lens).

LEAVES: Basal rosette usually withered by flowering; stem leaves alternate. Blades relatively even-sized along stem, elliptic to narrowly lance-shaped or oval near stem top, largest 2–3 inches long (5–8 cm); margins entire, hairy, often wavy; surfaces sparsely to moderately soft-hairy; one main vein, sometimes obscure.

HABITAT: Sandy, gravelly soils; near springs and steams, drainages, slopes, high meadows and mesas, roadsides, disturbed areas; pinyon-juniper, ponderosa-Douglas fir, mixed conifer forests.

ELEVATION: 5,000–9,700 feet.

RANGE: AZ, CO, NM, OK, TX; Mexico.

SIMILAR SPECIES: With about 17 closely-related Solidago species in NM, field identification can be difficult. The widespread 19–32-inch tall Three-nerve Goldenrod, S. velutina, has a one-sided floral stems, basal leaves are often present when flowering, and stem leaves have 3 prominent nerves. The 2-foot Prairie Goldenrod, S. nemoralis, has basal leaves present, hairy stems and leaves , and leaves with one nerve. Tall Goldenrod, S. altissima, scattered statewide, has scratchy, hairy stems and leaves, and 3-nerved leaves uniform in size up the stem. Giant Goldenrod, S. gigantea, scattered statewide, has has hairless to sparsely hairy stems and 3-nerved leaves, the largest at mid stem.

NM COUNTIES: Widespread in mid- to high-elevation, periodically moist habitats: Bernalillo, Catron, Chaves, Cibola, Dona Ana, Eddy, Grant, Harding, Hidalgo, Lincoln, Los Alamos, Luna, Mora, Otero, Quay, San Miguel, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Sierra, Socorro, Torrance, Union.