Solidago rigida L. var. glabrata E.L. Braun

Locations ofSolidago rigida L. var. glabrata E.L. Braun in Virginia

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Detail

Family
Asteraceae
Botanical Name
Solidago rigida L. var. glabrata E.L. Braun
Common Name
Southeastern Stiff Goldenrod
Synonym(s)
Solidago jacksonii (Kuntze) Fern.; Solidago rigida L. ssp. glabrata (E.L. Braun) Heard & Semple; Oligoneuron rigidum (L.) Small var. glabratum (E.L. Braun) Nesom
Flora of Virginia Name/Status
Solidago rigida L. var. glabrata E.L. Braun
Comments
Found new to Virginia by Nancy Van Alstine in 2003, in a powerline very close to the North Caroline line in Pittsylvania Co.; specimen at VPI. Sometimes treated as Oligoneuron rigidum (L.) Small var. glabratum (E.L. Braun) Nesom. This var. differs from var. rigida in its glabrous to sparsely pubescent leaves and stem. Like var. rigida, it has a primary range in the Midwest with Atlantic-slope disjunctions, but its overall distribution is more southern.

The generic placement of this species and its vars. seems to be quite unresolved, recently moving between Solidago and the sister genus Oligoneuron and back twice. Beyond that, the treatment of the two vars. as separate species by Flora of the Southeastern U.S. (Weakley et al. 2023) seems somewhat controversial. Morphologically, the main (only?) difference is in degree of pubescence, but var. glabrata (S. jacksonii) is diploid while var. rigida is mostly tetraploid. The Vascular Plants of North Carolina website (LeGrand and Sorrie) also regards the elevation of the varieties to be premature and wants to see additional published research. The issue is complicated, and we have opted to retain the traditional varietal approach while awaiting phylogenetic studies that could definitely resolve the issue.
Habitat
Power-line right-of-way over mafic rocks. Rare, s. Piedmont; known from one site, in Pittsylvania County.
Native Status
Native

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