Knowing that there was no photo on the site, a large clump of Solidago canadensis in the middle of the dunes looked just right for an addition to the growing collection. My more cautious botanical friend then informed me that there was more than one plant which looked like Solidago canadensis (my instant identification) so we ran the thing through key as one is supposed to do. It came out conclusively as Solidago gigantea (Early Goldenrod) so let that be a lesson to me. The leaves on Solidago gigantea ssp serotina are glabrous and sometimes only having a few hairs on the lower side veins where S. canadensis (Canadian Goldenrod) is scabrid/pubescent on leaf surfaces and stems.

This is another plant introduced from North America and which has happily naturalised itself away from any gardens in most of England and southern Scotland but not so much in Wales and hardly at all in Ireland..

LHS: Ham River Lands 7th July 2007: RHS: Southport Dunes 23rd July 2005

Added on November 29th 2005, updated 9th February 2012