Solidago canadensis L., Asteraceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Canada goldenrod, Canadian goldenrod, common goldenrod

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Stems 6-20 dm long, densely spreading puberulent, especially above.  Leaves numerous and crowded, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate-elliptic, lower ones 5-15 cm long, 0.7-2.2 cm wide, 3-nerved, densely spreading puberulent, upper surface sometimes subglabrous.  Heads in open paniculate inflorescences, with numerous divaricate, recurved, 1-sided branches; involucre (2-) 2.5-4.5 mm high; ray florets (8-) 10-17 per head, rays 2-3 mm long; disk florets 2-8 per head.  Achenes puberulent"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 357).

Habitat/ecology:  "Grassland, forest edges, riparian habitats, disturbed sites.  This plant belongs to a highly variable species complex.  It forms extensive colonies with a high shoot density and covering large areas, eliminating almost all other species.  Individual clones expend rapidly by vegetative lateral growth.  The annual stems die in autumn and new shoots arise from the rhizomes in spring.  Once established, the plant remains dominant for a long period of time"  (Weber, 2003; p. 411).

Propagation:  Seed.  Also spreads vegetatively by means of rhizomes.  "Seeds are abundantly produced and dispersed by wind"  (Weber, 2003; p. 411).

Native range:  North America (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 357).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Cook Islands Cook Islands	Cook Islands	introduced cultivated	McCormack, Gerald (2011)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 357)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 357)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 357)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 357)
Japan (offshore islands) Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	introduced	Kato, Hidetoshi (2007) As Solidago altissima L. [Solidago canadensis L. subsp. altissima (L.) O.Bolos et Vigo, Solidago canadensis L. var. scabra Torr. & A. Gray]
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 38) Vouchers cited: MacKee 12416, MacKee 25399, MacKee 45668

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive	Queensland Herbarium (2002) (p. 7) var. scabra
Canada Province of British Columbia	Canada (British Columbia)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Japan Japan	Japan (country)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 343)
Japan Japan	Japan (country)	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 190) var. canadensis and var. gilbocanescens Rydb.
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011) Baja Norte
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 195) "Waste places, especially roadsides".
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Oregon)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Washington)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Control: 

Physical:  "Repeated mowing or mulching and reseeding of native species.  Single clumps may be grubbed, rhizomes must be removed".

Chemical:  "Effective herbicides are 2,4-D or picloram"  (Weber, 2003; p. 411).

Additional information:
Information from the Global Invasive Species Database.

Additional online information about Solidago canadensis is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Solidago canadensis as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Solidago canadensis may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 391 pp.

Kato, Hidetoshi. 2007. Herbarium records of Makino Herbarium, Tokyo Metropolitan University. Personal communication.

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

McCormack, Gerald. 2011. Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga.

Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro. 2004. Invasive alien species in Japan: the status quo and the new regulation for prevention of their adverse effects. Global Environmental Research 8(2)/2004: 171-191.

Queensland Herbarium. 2002. Invasive Naturalised Plants in Southeast Queensland, alphabetical by genus. Modified from: Batianoff, George N. and Butler, Don W. (2002). Assessment of Invasive naturalized plants in south-east Queensland. Appendix. Plant Protection Quarterly 17, 27-34. 11 pp.

U. S. Government. 2011. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (on-line resource).

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. 1988. Flora of New Zealand, Volume IV: Naturalised pteridophytes, gymnosperms, dicotyledons. Botany Division, DSIR, Christchurch. 1365 pp.

Weber, Ewald. 2003. Invasive plants of the World. CABI Publishing, CAB International, Wallingford, UK. 548 pp.