Solidago pulchra Small. Subgenus: Pleiactila. Section: Maritimae. Beautiful Goldenrod, Carolina Goldenrod. Phen: Jul-Sep. Hab: Wet pine savannas, seepage bogs. Dist: Endemic to a small part of the Coastal Plain of se. NC and adjacent ne. SC, where locally common in remaining wet savannas.

Origin/Endemic status: Endemic

Taxonomy Comments: There is no question of the distinctness of this species from S. virgata and S. gracillima. Once learned, the basal leaves are recognizable at a glance, the petiole very long (often twice as long as the leaf blade), the venation finely netted, the margins smooth and entire, the tip usually acute and prominently mucronate. This species is tetraploid (2n=36).

Other Comments: Notable sites include Green Swamp (Brunswick County), Holly Shelter Game Land (Pender County), Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base (Onslow County), and Croatan National Forest (Carteret County). Even following fire, sterile rosettes typically outnumber flowering plants 100 to 1.

Synonymy: = FNA20, K1, K3, K4, S, SE1; < Solidago stricta Aiton – GW2, RAB

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Wetland Indicator Status:

• Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: OBL (taxonomic split from wetland indicator species)
• Great Plains: OBL (taxonomic split from wetland indicator species)

Heliophily: 9