Goldenrod (Solidago species)

Goldenrod is a beautiful plant that is easy to identify by its long, feathery, yellow clusters of flowers. It often grows along the sides of roads, along the edge of forest, or in abandoned fields. It is usually growing abundantly at the end of summer, into the fall.

Because Goldenrod has so many flowers, it is often accused of causing hay fever allergies. This is incorrect. Goldenrod has heavy pollen and is insect-pollinated. The bright yellow flowers attract insects. Flies, bees, and butterflies transfer the heavy Goldenrod pollen from flower to flower. Plants that cause hay fever allergies have very light pollen and are wind-pollinated. The pollen must be light so that the wind can carry it far. Insect-pollinated plants have their pollen transferred directly to other flowers. Wind-pollinated plants, however, do not have their pollen transferred directly to other flowers. Wind just blows the pollen from the flowers into the air. Whatever pollen lands on flowers of other plants is incidental. To make sure that their pollen reaches other plants, wind-pollinated plants produce a lot of pollen. They produce much more pollen than insect-pollinated plants. The cause of hay fever allergies, therefore, is the abundant, wind-blown pollen from wind-pollinated plants, not from Goldenrod.

Goldenrod is native to North America. Its it most closely related to a shrub that grows in the southeastern United States. Because of its beauty, Goldenrod has been introduced to Europe as an ornamental plant.