Goldenrod

an autumnal flower of the composite family. There are over a hundred kinds, half or more found in eastern North America. They divide fairly the honors of autumn with the asters, and are the undisputed rival of the sunflower in late summer. The flowers are almost always yellow and are crowded in small heads. The flowers or florets in the outer circle of each head have strap-shaped corollas and both pistils and stamens. The inner florets have pistils only. After frosts the dry seeds fly in the wind like dandelion seeds. The root makes ready in the fall for early growth. While goldenrods may seem an endless maze, it is not difficult to separate the species in any one vicinity into four groups, whose flowers are disposed in masses that are (1) flat-topped; (2) pyramidal; (3) wand-like or bending to one side, or (4) clustered along the stem in the axils of the leaves.