Euthamia graminifolia

Sizes available: #1 (Trade gallon)

Basics: zones 3-9, 24-48" x 12-24", full sun to part shade, numerous tiny yellow flowers in a loose, flat-topped cluster over mid-green, "grassy" foliage in late summer, drought tolerant in part shade, but prefers full sun and consistent moisture.

Common names: Grass-leaved Goldenrod, Flat-topped Goldenrod

Synonyms: Solidago graminifolia: DNA analysis has resulted in this plant being reclassified from Solidago to Euthamia and it is not a true goldenrod.

Family: Asteraceae

Origin/Distribution: Native from Quebec to Maryland and west to North Dakota, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Euthamia graminifolia is native to Maine. These plants were grown from seed collected in New England.

Habitat: damp to drier thickets, open areas, wood's edge

More: This is an example of an adaptable, strong grower that can be slowed down by planting it in less than ideal conditions. In sun with good moisture it can dominate a planting. Try it in dry, part shade to curtail its enthusiasm. Makes a great cut flower, both before blooming as a textural filler and as a classic ingredient for a meadow-centered bouquet. The seeds are eaten by the Swamp Sparrow, Melospiza georgiana, which is not a year-round resident, but uses Maine for its breeding grounds. The American (or Eastern) Goldfinch, Carduelis tristris, is a year round resident of Maine that also enjoys the seeds. The blooms are attractive to numerous insects: both long and short-tongued bees, moths, butterflies, and small beetles such as the Goldenrod Soldier Beetle, Chauliognathus pensylvanicus,and the Black Blister Beetle, Epicauta pensylvanica, both native to Maine. Euthamia graminifolia also hosts numerous gall-forming insects. 

Nursery: Van Berkum

Image credit: Prairie Moon Nursery; illustration from Wikimedia Commons