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UltravioletPhotography

Solidago altissima [Tall Goldenrod]


Andrea B.

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Blum, A.G. (2016) Solidago altissima L. (Asteraceae) Tall Goldenrod. Flowers photographed in ultraviolet and visible light. http://www.ultraviol...tall-goldenrod/

[uPDATED: 02 Aug 2016]

 

Shore Cottage, Southwest Harbor, Maine, USA

07 August 2014

30 July 2016

Wildflower

 

Synonyms:

  • Solidago altissima L. var. procera (Ait.) Fern.
  • Solidago canadensis L. var. scabra Torr. & Gray

Comment:

Beginning in mid-July the 25+ Goldenrods in New England begin to bloom in fields and along roadways in a glorious display of golden-yellow. Goldenrods always require some care to identify. In UV, the various goldenrods can vary from moderately UV-reflective to UV-absorbing or can have a typical UV-dark bullseye with false UV-yellow petals. In UV, S. altissima exhibits an overall moderate UV-reflectivity with a slightly darker center reproductive area - a rather weak bullseye effect.

 

Three characteristics of S. altissima, as a member of Solidago subsection Triplinerviae, are: a nodding, plume-like inflorescence, parallel-veined leaves, distantly spaced (remote) non-serrated leaf teeth, and a one-sided (secund) inflorescence.

 

The very similar S. canadensis often has more sharply serrated leaves and smaller flowers. Many authorities consider S. altissima to be S. canadensis var. scabra. In coastal Maine, the flower shown below is considered to be S. altissima subsp. altissima.

 

As a confirmation of the identity of this particular Solidago in the given location, I discovered some characteristic insect galls on the stems of several S. altissima plants. These galls, caused by Eurosta solidaginis, the Goldenrod Gall Fly, are only rarely found on S. canadensis.

 

 

References:

1. Elliman, T. & New England Wild Flower Society (2016) Wildflowers of New England. Solidago altissima, page 229. Timber Press, Portland, OR.

2. Haines, A. (2011) Flora Novae Angliae. Solidago key, page 428. Solidago altissima L. ssp. altissima, page 431. Yale University Press, New Haven, CT.

3. Muma, Walter (02 Aug 2016) Ontario Wildflowers Tall Goldenrod. Solidago altissima.

4. New England Wild Flower Society (27 July 2016) Solidago altissima L. Tall Goldenrod.

5. Peterson, R. & McKenny, M (1968) A Field Guide to Wildflowers. Northeastern and North-central North America. Tall Goldenrod, page 190. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, MA. This field guide has an excellent high-level categorization of Solidago morphology.

6. Tooker JF, De Moraes CM. (2008) Gall insects and indirect plant defenses: A case of active manipulation? Plant Signaling & Behavior. 2008;3(7):503-504.

 

 

Equipment [Nikon D600-broadband + Carl Zeiss 60mm f/4.0 UV-Planar]

 

Visible Light [f/11 for 1/20" @ ISO-400 with Onboard Flash and Baader UVIR-Block Filter]

solidagoAltissima_visFlash_20140807shoreCottageME_25595pnV2.jpg

 

Ultraviolet Light [f/11 for 15" @ ISO-400 with SB-14 UV-modified Flash and BaaderU UV-Pass Filter]

A long exposure time was used to permit multiple flashes for shadow reduction.

solidagoAltissima_uvBaadSB14_20140807shoreCottageSwhME_25601.jpg

 

Visible Light [f/11 for 1/1.3" @ ISO-400 with Onboard Flash and Baader UVIR-Block Filter]

This photo, showing the secund inflorescence, was edited to remove distracting background elements.

solidagoAltissimaInvolucre_visFlash_20140807shoreCottageME_25609pn0101.jpg

 

Visible Light [f/11 for 1.3" @ ISO-400 with Onboard Flash and Baader UVIR-Block Filter]

The leaf has 3 prominent parallel veins.

solidagoAltissimaLeafTop_visFlash_20140807shoreCottageME_25633pn02.jpg

 

Visible Light [f/11 for 1/4" @ ISO-400 with Onboard Flash and Baader UVIR-Block Filter]

The abaxial surface of the leaf has some soft hairs.

solidagoAltissimaLeafAbaxial_visFlash_20140807shoreCottageME_25641pn.jpg

 

Visible Light [f/8 for 1/250" @ ISO-360 with D810 + Nikkor 60/2.8G AFS in Sunlight]

The Goldenrod Gall Fly has been here.

solidagoAltissimaGalls_20160730shoreCottageME_11420pn.jpg

 

Visible Light [f/8 for 1/250" @ ISO-280 with D810 + Nikkor 60/2.8G AFS in Sunlight]

Another view of the gall.

solidagoAltissimaGalls_20160730shoreCottageME_11425pn.jpg

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The preceding post was restored on 02 August 2016 after damage from a server outage.
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