Zigzag Goldenrod

Pollinator Value

🔑 Keystone: Solidago is a keystone genus in the Ottawa-Gatineau ecoregion, supporting 122 species of butterflies and moths as caterpillar host plants. This exceptional lepidopteran diversity cascades through the food web, sustaining insectivorous birds and parasitoid wasps. Zigzag goldenrod also supports at least 5 specialist bee species and numerous generalist pollinators, making it a critical late-season nectar and pollen resource in forest understory habitats.
S13 122 lepidoptera; S17 5 specialist bees; S10 pollinator diversity
🐛 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, Andrena placata, Andrena simplex, Colletes simulans
S17 Solidago oligoleges listed in Fowler; S10 confirmed for S. flexicaulis
❄️ Winter Food Source: Seeds persist into fall and are consumed by Swamp Sparrows and Pine Siskins. Wild Turkey and Greater Sage-Grouse also forage on Solidago seeds and foliage. The small achenes with pappus tufts provide a modest but accessible food source for ground-foraging birds and small mammals through late autumn.
S4 Swamp Sparrows, Pine Siskins, Meadow Mice; S57 Wild Turkey, Greater Sage-Grouse

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: Globally secure (G5) with national ranks of N5 in both Canada and the United States. Secure in Ontario (S5) and apparently secure in Quebec (S4). Not listed under SARA or COSEWIC. Listed as uncommon in the Ottawa flora. In some northeastern US states it is more restricted: Rhode Island ranks it S1 (extremely rare, state threatened).
S22 G5, N5; S62 Uncommon in Ottawa; S61 RI S1 state threatened; S26 not SARA listed
Rarity Ranks: QC S4 – Apparently Secure, ON S5 – Secure
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: A shade-tolerant woodland goldenrod of rich deciduous forests, typically found on moist to dry-mesic sheltered slopes, ravines, and stream banks under sugar maple, beech, and basswood canopy. In the Ottawa-Gatineau region, it occurs in hardwood forests on loamy soils with decaying organic matter, often associated with calcareous substrates. One of few goldenrods adapted to deep forest shade, filling a late-summer pollinator niche in the understory where few other Asteraceae bloom.
S10 rich deciduous woodlands; S7 limestone forests, sugar maple association; S29 calcareous seeps; S62 Uncommon in Ottawa

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: Functions as an insectary plant and nutrient accumulator in woodland guilds. Its late-season bloom provides critical nectar when few other woodland species flower. Tolerates juglone, making it suitable for planting near black walnut. A good nurse plant for drought-prone shaded sites. The rhizomatous habit provides soil stabilization on wooded slopes.
S72 insectary, nutrient accumulator; S3 tolerates juglone; S29 nurse plant for drought; S4 erosion control

Category: Analgesic, Febrifuge, Gastrointestinal Aid, Hemostat, Throat Aid
S28 Moerman Drug categories from Chippewa, Iroquois, Menominee, Potawatomi uses
Notes: Used medicinally by at least four Indigenous nations. The Chippewa chewed the root for sore throat. The Menominee used a snuff of dried, powdered leaves for headache and inserted a compound of powdered dried leaves in the nostrils to check nosebleed. The Iroquois took a compound decoction for biliousness. The Potawatomi used an infusion of the whole plant for certain fevers.
S28 Moerman: Chippewa, Menominee, Iroquois, Potawatomi uses

❌ Not Edible

Foraging Notes: Not commonly consumed. PFAF lists leaves used for tea and edible seed but rates edibility 0 out of 5, indicating negligible food value. USDA rates human palatability as none. No traditional food uses are documented in Moerman's ethnobotanical database.
S29 leaves for tea, edible seed, 0/5; S11 Palatable Human=No; S28 no Food category