Solidago chilensis Meyen, Asteraceae

Click on an image for links to BIGGER PICTURES

Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  yes

Common name(s): [more details]

Spanish: fulel, vara de oro

Habit:  herb

Description: 

Genus:  "Cabezuela heterógama.  Las flores periféricas cortamente liguladas, ♀, uniseriadas; las centrales ♀, tubulosas.  Invólucro oblongo o angostamente acampanado.  Hojuelas involucrales en varias filas atejadas, las esteriores mas curtas que las interiores.  Anteras aladas, sin colas.  Estilo con 2 divisiones lanceoladas, aplanadas.  Vilano de 1-2 filas de pelos asperos.  Aquenios indistintamente prismáticos, pelados.  yerbas perennes con los tallos rijidos, derechos, poco ramosos.  hojas alternas.  Cabezuelas paniculadas, pequeñas o medianas.  Corolas amarillas".

Species (as Solidago microglossa DC., synonym: S. chilensis Meyen):  "Planta perenne, con el tallo sencillo, algo leñoso en la base.  Las infunas hojas con la base atenuada, las otras sesiles, largamente lanceoladas, acuminadas, recorridas por 3 nervios; las márjenes muy finamente ásperas, aserradas a distancia en las hojas inferiores, enteras eu las superiores; las inferiores de 5-6 cm le largo, las superiores sucesivamente mas cortas.  Inflorescencia terminal, paniculada, las ramitas con las cabezuelas vueltas del mismo lado; brácteas en la base del invólucro alesnudas.  Hojuelas del invólucro lineares, peladas.  Flores periféricas liguladas 10-15, de igual largo con las 20-25 flores del disco.  Aquenios pelados.  Tallos 0.6-0.8 m"  (Reich, 1896; pp. 281-282).

Habitat/ecology:  "In Chile this species grows in the following environmental conditions:  Low altitude, interior valleys; coastal mountains, 500-2000 m; coastal areas, 0-500 m. The plant grows in water or it has its roots within a permanent water course, this corresponds to marshes, bogs, water courses, lake and river shores humid areas, with almost constant rainfall, short dry periods are possible (generally not longer than 1 month); somewhat dry areas where the drought may last 3-5 months, precipitations of 400-800 mm. are concentrated in winter. Fully exposed to the sun, level areas or slopes facing north; some shadow, some protection against direct sunlight, some shadow from vegetation, filtering about 20-40% of light"  (Chileflora).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive cultivated	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (p. 557)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Chile (continental) Chile	Chile (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Additional information:
Photos and other information from Chileflora.

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

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

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

References:

Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John. 2011. Naturalized species in the Juan Fernández Archipelago, Chile. Unpublished spreadsheet.

Belov, Michail. 2011. Chileflora (online resource).

Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido. 2006. Nouveau catalogue de la flore vaculaire de l'archipel Juan Fernández (Chile) [Nuevo catálogo de la flora vacular del Archipélago Juan Fernández (Chile)]. Acta Bot. Gallica 153(4):399-587.

Reich, Cárlos. 1896. Flora de Chile. Imprenta Cervantes, Santiago. 6 volumes.

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