Cutler’s alpine goldenrod , verge d’or de Cutler

Solidago cutleri Fernald; S. virgaurea Linnaeus var. alpina Bigelow

Plants 5–35 cm; caudices branching, roots fibrous. Stems 1–5+, ascending to erect, hirtellous-puberulent in arrays. Leaves: basal and proximal cauline petiolate, tapering; blades spatulate to oblanceolate, 20–150 × 5–40 mm, margins ciliate, serrate crenate, apices acute to rounded, faces glabrous; distal usually 2–5, sessile, blades sometimes ± clasping, oblanceolate, 20–40 × 4–9 mm, distally reduced and becoming broadly to narrowly lanceolate, margins entire, apices acute to obtuse. Heads 2–50(–160) in compact corymbiform arrays in smaller plants, corymbiform to paniculiform arrays in larger ones. Peduncles 5–6 mm, moderately hispidulo-strigillose; bracteoles 0–1, linear-lanceolate. Involucres broadly campanulate, 5–7.5 mm. Phyllaries unequal, outer (lengths ¹ / 2 inner) deltate, acute, inner lanceolate, obtuse. Ray florets 6–15; laminae 2–4 × 1–2 mm. Disc florets 12–35; corollas 4–5.5 mm, lobes 1–2 mm. Cypselae 1–2.5 mm, strigose; pappi 3–5 mm. 2n = 36.

Flowering Aug–Sep. Alpine habitats; 800–1600 m; Que.; Maine, N.H., N.Y., Vt.

Solidago leiocarpa is similar to and possibly conspecific with S. multiradiata. It has long been treated as S. cutleri in regional floras.