Solidago canadensis
| Solidago canadensis | |
 | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 3 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 6' |
| Width: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Late Summer-Mid Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter Nectary | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Solidago canadensis (common names: Canadian goldenrod or Canada Goldenrod)
With forceful rhizomatous growth, canada goldenrod is favored in fields for cattle, sheep, and horses for fodder or to stabilize disturbed land. The long lived plant can be used in gardens if contained in a pot and its wind dispersed seeds are removed. Bright yellow flowers held above its foliage are visited by a wide variety of insects for its pollen and nectar and preferred by oligolectic bees and honeybees who can collect large amounts of nectar from its plentiful blossoms. Falsely accused as causing hay fevers, goldenrods are merely the scapegoats for ragweed’s conspicuous greenish flowers and wind-dispersed pollen that bloom at the same time. This long-lived herbaceous flower prefers full to partial sun, moist soil, and moderate levels of organic matter in the soil and can form dense stands in some habitats, particularly when the ground is disturbed or opened.
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. Only just cover the seed and do not allow the compost to become dry. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle, and grow them on for their first winter in pots. Plant them out into their permanent positions in spring or early summer.
Division in spring or autumn. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer.
Cultivation: Succeeds in any moderately fertile moisture retentive soil in sun or semi-shade[1]. Grows well in heavy clay soils.
A rather greedy plant, it is apt to impoverish the soil[2].
The flowers attract butterflies and moths[3]. The plant also attracts various beneficial insects such as ladybirds, lacewings and hoverflies to the garden, these insects will help to control insect pests in the garden[4][5].
Range: Eastern N. America - Newfoundland to Ontario, south to Virginia. Naturalized in Britain[6].
Habitat: Dry to damp thickets, roadsides, slopes and clearings, avoiding acid soils.
Edibility: Young leaves and flowering stems - cooked[7].
Seed[8][9][10][11][12][13]. Used as a thickener in soups[7]. The seed is very small[K] and is only used as a survival food when all else fails[14].
A tea can be made from the flowers and/or the leaves[7][13].
Medicinal: Haemostatic, styptic[15][7].
The root is applied as a poultice to burns[15][7][14].
An infusion of the dried powdered herb can be used as an antiseptic[15][7].
The blossoms are analgesic, astringent and febrifuge[16]. They have been chewed and the juice slowly swallowed to treat sore throats[17][14]. A tea made from the flowers is used in the treatment of diarrhoea, body pains, fevers and snakebites[14][16].
The plant contains quercitin, a compound that is reportedly useful in the treatment of haemorrhagic nephritis[14].
This plant is said to have similar medicinal properties to S. virgaurea. These are:-
Goldenrod is a safe and gentle remedy for a number of disorders. In particular, it is a valuable astringent remedy treating wounds and bleeding, whilst it is particularly useful in the treatment of urinary tract disorders, being used both for serious ailments such as nephritis and for more common problems such as cystitis[18]. The plant contains saponins that are antifungal and act specifically against the Candida fungus which is the cause of vaginal and oral thrush[5][18]. It also contains rutin which is used to treat capillary fragility, and phenolic glycosides which are anti-inflammatory[5].
The leaves and flowering tops are anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, aromatic, astringent, carminative, diaphoretic, mildly diuretic, febrifuge and stimulant[19][20][21][22][23][24]. A good vulnerary herb, it has also proved of value when used internally in the treatment of urinary infections, chronic catarrh, skin diseases, influenza, whooping cough, bladder and kidney stones etc[19][5]. Due to its mild action, goldenrod is used to treat gastro-enteritis in children[18]. It makes an excellent mouthwash in the treatment of thrush[20]. The plant is gathered in the summer and dried for later use[20].
The seed is anticoagulant, astringent and carminative[25].
A homeopathic remedy is made from the plant[21]. It is used in the treatment of kidney and bladder disorders, rheumatism and arthritis[21].
Usage: Mustard, orange and brown dyes can be obtained from the whole plant[15].
The source of 'Canadian goldenrod' oil[9]. We have no further details, but it is likely to be an essential oil.
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Early Fall-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Also Known As: S. lepida. DC.
Links
References
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Carter, David. Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe. Pan, 1982.
- ↑ Allardice, Pamela. A-Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers, 1993.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Schofield, Janice. Discovering Wild Plants.
- ↑ Douglas, James. Alternative Foods.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Weiner, Michael. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books, 1980.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.
- ↑ Mills, Simon. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
- ↑ Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.