Goldenrod, the state flower of Nebraska

How to recognize it

Giant goldenrod is an upright perennial with smooth stems, usually 2 to 3 feet tall but sometimes up to about 6. In late summer it produces many tiny yellow flower heads, each no more than about a quarter inch across, crowded along arching branches in long or flat-topped clusters.

Giant goldenrod blooms from August to October. Nebraska has many other goldenrods too, and the secretary of state gives July to October as the bloom time for goldenrods across the state. Popular and official descriptions often speak of goldenrod in general for that reason.

Which goldenrod?

The 1895 resolution does name one species. The 1920 Nebraska Blue Book summarizes it as choosing “the golden rod (Solidago serotina),” and the secretary of state still uses that name. Botanists now treat Solidago serotina as another name for Solidago gigantea, giant goldenrod.

Where it grows

Giant goldenrod is native across the lower 48 states and Canada, including Nebraska. It does best in part shade with medium moisture, and other goldenrods grow in nearly every part of the state, which is one reason it was chosen. It also has special value to native bees and honey bees.

Where to see it

Goldenrods grow throughout Nebraska, so from late summer into fall the sprays of yellow are easy to find. Giant goldenrod itself favors spots with part shade and medium moisture.

The 1895 contest

Representative L. P. Judd of Cedar Rapids introduced the goldenrod resolution, with the backing of the University of Nebraska botanist Charles Bessey. Its supporters argued that the goldenrod was a true native found in nearly every corner of the state. In the Senate, Senator John C. Sprecher of Schuyler tried to substitute the violet, but the goldenrod carried the vote, and Governor Silas A. Holcomb signed the resolution on April 4, 1895.

Nebraskans celebrated that fall. The 1895 State Fair named September 17 Golden Rod Day and handed out sprays of the flower.