One of the most widespread native plants in North Dakota, Canada goldenrod occurs throughout much of North America, at elevations under 9,000 ft. Plants exhibit a bewildering array of varieties, including 5 in the Great Plains. Plants are perennial from single or multiple stems and normally are about 3 ft. tall.
Plants are hairy above the middle.
Leaf texture and hairiness and flower head size are the highly variable characters. Plants with longer flower heads and leaves nearly smooth on the upper surface are most common in our area. Leaves are usually about 2 to 4 inches long, toothed, and distributed quite uniformly up the stem. Fruits are tiny achenes equipped with white bristles to aid transport by wind. Look for Canada goldenrod in September in rich soils of native grassland.