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Common Name: Sweet Goldenrod

General Information

Solidago odora is a perennial plant that can grow up to 1.20 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Eastern N. America - Vermont to Florida, west to Missouri and Texas.

Habitat

Sandy and clay soils, dry open woods, pine barrens, damp peaty pine woods, sand hills, edges of oak and pine woods, disturbed areas, roadside embankments from sea level to 700 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	1.20 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in any moderately fertile moisture retentive soil in sun or semi-shade[]. Tolerant of very poor sandy soils[]. Grows well in heavy clay soils.
A rather greedy plant, it is apt to impoverish the soil[].
The bruised leaves have a smell like a mixture of sassafras and aniseed[].
The plant attracts various beneficial insects such as ladybirds, lacewings and hoverflies to the garden, these insects will help to control insect pests in the garden[, ].

Edible Uses

Leaves - cooked[].
Seed[]. No more details are given but the seed is very small and fiddly to harvest[].
An aromatic, anise-flavoured tea is made from the dried leaves and dried fully expanded flowers[, , , ].
The blossoms are used as a flavouring[].

Medicinal

An infusion of the dried powdered herb is antiseptic[].
The leaves make a very pleasant-tasting tea that is mildly astringent, carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic, febrifuge and stimulant[, , , , ]. It is useful in the treatment of coughs and colds, dysentery and ulceration of the intestines[, ].
The essential oil has been used as a diuretic for infants, as a local application for headaches and for the treatment of flatulence and vomiting[].
The flowers are aperient, astringent and tonic[]. An infusion is beneficial in the treatment of gravel, urinary obstruction and simple dropsy[].
The root can be chewed as a treatment for sore mouths[].

Other Uses

An anise-scented essential oil is obtained from the plant[]. It is used medicinally[] and in perfumery - especially for scenting soaps[].
Mustard, orange and brown dyes can be obtained from the whole plant[].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. Only just cover the seed and do not allow the compost to become dry. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle, and grow them on for their first winter in pots. Plant them out into their permanent positions in spring or early summer.
Division in spring or autumn. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer.