Euthamia occidentalis Nutt.   =Solidago occidentalis   Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)   Native   Western Goldenrod

                                     September Photo

Plant Characteristics:  Perennial herb with stout stems, from creeping rhizome, much branched, 6-20 dm. high, glabrous, often glutinous above; lvs. lance-linear, acuminate, sessile, entire, 3-5 nerved, 4-10 cm. long, 3-9 mm. wide, glandular-punctate, the margin often scabrid, the lowest lvs. not prominently different from the upper and at length deciduous; infl. ample, leafy-bracteate, interrupted-elongate or rounded, the heads in small cymose clusters; invol. 4 mm. high; phyllaries firm, lance-oblong to lance-linear, acute; ray-fls. yellow, 15-25, 1.5-2.5 mm. long; disk-fls. yellow, 7-14; aks. pilose.

Habitat:  Wet meadows, stream-banks, etc., usually below 2000 ft., occasional to 5000 ft.; Coastal Salt Marsh, Freshwater Marsh, V. Grassland, Sagebrush Scrub, etc.; cismontane s. Calif., rare in the desert, as at Victorville; L. Calif. to n. Calif., B.C., Rocky Mts., Nebr. July-Nov.

Name:  Latin, solidus, whole, and the suffix-ago. The plants were reputed to have medicinal value. ( Munz, Flora So. Calif. 228).  Latin, occidentalis, western. (Jaeger 170).   Euthamia from the Greek meaning well-crowded, from the dense infl.  (Hickman, Ed. 266).

General:  Common in the study area, with several colonies along Back Bay Dr. and on the bluffs above the road.  Where there are plants, they are usually in a colony.   Photographed along Back Bay Dr. at the northerly end of Eastbluff and on the Santa Ana Heights Flats.  Munz, Flora So. Calif., lists the habitat of the species as above, which includes the Coastal Salt Marsh.  Mason and Jepson do not mention the salt marsh, only the word marsh without specifying what kind.  In Upper Newport Bay, the known colonies are above the line of highest tide and along fresh water areas.  (my comments).      An antiseptic powder may be made by powdering dry mature leaves of any of the species and an antiseptic lotion  may be made from any of the species by boiling the stems and leaves.  (Kirk 138).     Sheep have been known to be poisoned by eating the green or dried plants of goldenrod species.  (Robbins et al. 498).     Solidago species have been known to cause hay fever and asthma.  They have also been known to accumulate free nitrates in quantities capable of causing death or distress in cattle.  (Fuller 379,384).       The leaves and flowers of  S. nemoralis have been used as a carminative and  a diaphoretic.  (Meyer 145).      A large genus.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 228).

Text Ref:  Hickman, Ed. 266; Munz, Calif. Flora 1185; Munz, Flora So. Calif. 228.

Photo Ref:  Sept. 2 83 # 24B,E; Oct 2 86 # 1.

Identity: by R. De Ruff, confirmed by F. Roberts.

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 194

Have plant specimen.

Last edit 10/15/02.

                                         September Photo