Blue-stemmed Goldenrod

Solidago caesia

Pollinator Value

🔑 Keystone: Solidago is a keystone genus in Eastern NA, supporting 122 lepidoptera species as caterpillar host plants. Blue-stemmed goldenrod contributes to this network as a woodland component, providing late-season floral resources in deciduous forest understories where many open-habitat goldenrods are absent.
S13 122 lepidoptera; S10 woodland niche; S61 forest habitat
🐛 Larval Host: Cucullia asteroides, Cucullia convexipennis, Leuconycta diphteroides, Synchlora aerata, Eusarca confusaria, Schinia nundina
S13+S15 6 verified Eastern NA
🐝 Specialist Bee Host: Andrena hirticincta, Andrena nubecula, Colletes simulans, Colletes solidaginis, Andrena asteris, Andrena canadensis
S17 Solidago pollen specialists with northeastern NA ranges
❄️ Winter Food Source: Seeds persist through winter on dried stems. Goldenrod seeds are eaten sparingly by Indigo Bunting, Dark-eyed Junco, American Tree Sparrow, and American Goldfinch. Wild Turkey also consumes Solidago seeds.
S10 songbird seed use; S57 Wild Turkey; S11 Fruit/Seed Persistence=Yes

Proximity Score: 0
Native Status: ✅ Outaouais ✅ Ottawa ✅ QC ✅ ON
Closest Direction: Local
CEC Eco-Regions: 5 – Northern Forests, 5.2 – Mixed Wood Shield, 5.2.3 – Algonquin/Southern Laurentians
Rarity Notes: Secure in Ontario (S5), not ranked in Quebec (SNR). Not listed under SARA. Globally secure (G5). Uncommon in Ottawa region per Brunton 2005; sparse on the Quebec side per Gillett & White 1978.
S22 G5, S5 ON, SNR QC; S26 not SARA listed; S62 Uncommon Ottawa; S63 Sparse
Rarity Ranks: QC SNR – Not Ranked, ON S5 – Secure
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: A shade-tolerant woodland goldenrod of rich deciduous forests, typically found in the understory of beech-maple, oak-hickory, and sugar maple-basswood associations. Occupies upland sites on loamy to rocky soils, frequently on wooded slopes and ravines. In the Outaouais, found in sugar maple forests and rocky oak-maple stands in Gatineau Park and surrounding hills.
S10 upland woodlands; S7 rich deciduous forests, beech-maple; S48 Gatineau Park specimens in erabliere

Roles: Fire Retardant, Fortress/Barrier, Insectary Plant, Nutrient Accumulator, Pollinator Attractor
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fire Retardant: S73 [MEDIUM]: S11 Fire Tolerance = High (not definitional)] | Fortress/Barrier: S61 keyword match: spines? (supporting signal only)] | Insectary Plant: S72 Hemenway (tables: appendix_a, pp. 186); S64 NPPBI 'beneficial insects' flag] | Nutrient Accumulator: S72 Hemenway (tables: appendix_a, pp. 186)] | Pollinator Attractor: S73 [HIGH]: S64 Xerces listed (source-classified)]
Notes: A well-behaved woodland guild member that fills the late-season bloom gap in deciduous forest understories. Functions as an insectary plant attracting beneficial insects and as a nutrient accumulator. Tolerates juglone, making it suitable under Juglans nigra. Non-aggressive rhizomatous spread allows integration into diverse plantings without dominating.
S72 insectary + nutrient accumulator; S3 tolerates juglone; S46 not aggressive

❌ Not Edible

Foraging Notes: No documented edible uses. USDA rates palatability to humans as none. No ethnobotanical food records in Moerman.
S11 Palatable Human=No; S28 no uses