Narrative

Asters (Genus Aster) are a large group of wild-flowers that usually bloom in the fall. Although some are easy to identify, many are somewhat difficult to separate and identify correctly. The 1913 edition of Brown and Britton discusses seventy-five different species found in the eastern United States.

Goldenrods (Solidago) are a large complex of many species of plants within this genus and are often very difficult to accurately identify. The l913 edition of Brown and Britton lists forty-nine species occurring in the eastern United States. Their bright yellow wand-like flower racemes are a familiar fall sight.

Roger Tory Petersons Field Guide of Eastern United States Flowers separates the species based on leaf shape and the categorization of the shape of the flower racemes into plume-like, elm branched, club-like, wand-like, and flat topped. This is an excellent reference book for tentative identification of the twenty-nine species that are discussed.

Taxonomy

References