Naturally speaking: A plant with odd names and a bad rap – Reading Eagle

Get Growing: The changing grasses and goldenrod signal to coming winter

“Achooo!” There you go sneezing and feeling miserable again during this hay fever season.  Your misery must be due to all the goldenrod that is in bloom out there … right? This plant certainly gets a bad rap, and it may be hard for you to believe that it is not the cause of your allergies.

However, blooming at the same time is ragweed, which is nondescript with green flowers and leaves that blend in with its surroundings. Goldenrod is tall, bright yellow and really stands out!

The pollen of goldenrod is heavy and sticky and needs insects to move it from flower to flower to complete pollination. Ragweed’s pollen is light and wind pollinated and ends up being sniffled up by your allergic nose! The plant family is called Solidago, which means to “make whole or heal.”  There are over 100 species with first names like Zig zag, Seaside, Wand, Stiff and Tall.  The list could go on.

There are some people who are pushing to have it listed as our national wildflower due to its presence in a good part of our country. In fact, the goldenrod is the state wildflower for South Carolina, Kentucky and Nebraska. Goldenrods are considered very desirable because of the large number of beautiful yellow flowers that bloom in late summer into early fall.

Goldenrods are attractive sources of nectar for bees, flies, wasps and butterflies. Honey from a goldenrod often is dark and strong due to admixtures of other nectars. They are considered weeds by many in North America. In other parts of the world, such as Europe, they are prized as garden plants.

Goldenrod only began to garner some acceptance in American gardening during the 1980s. It has many uses as a medicinal plant including combating fatigue, reducing allergies, reducing cold and flu symptoms and soothing inflammation. The plant aids in digestion and treats urinary tract infections.  You can even use it as a gargle or mouthwash!

Inventor Thomas Edison experimented with this plant to produce rubber, which it contains naturally. He created a fertilization and cultivation process to maximize the rubber content in each plant.  His experiments produced a 12-foot tall plant that provided as much as 12% rubber!  The tires on the Model T that was given to him by his friend Henry Ford were made from goldenrod.

This is a very useful plant. You can eat parts of it when cooked!  Goldenrods can be used for decoration and in making tea and a dye for clothing. In some places, the plant is held as a sign of good fortune.

As you drive around the area this late summer into fall keep your eyes open for goldenrods along roadsides, fields, pastures and waste places.  You can certainly agree that this plant could be our national wildflower!