Solidago lepida var. fallax Fernald, Rhodora 17: 9. 1915; S. canadensis Linnaeus var. fallax (Fernald) Beaudry; S. elongata Nuttall var. fallax (Fernald) G. N. Jones; S. lepida var. molina Fernald

Distal cauline leaves: margins usually with 6–8 teeth per side. Heads in leafy, ± pyramidal arrays, branches usually ascending, not secund, sometimes spreading, secund, arching, little surpassing subtending leaves. Phyllaries: proximal margins sparsely, minutely stipitate-glandular. 2n = 18.

Flowering (Jul–)Aug–Sep. Fields, thickets, roadsides; 0–600+ m; N.B., Nfld. and Labr. (Nfld.) , Que.

Subspecies fallax is considered rare in New Brunswick, and its status in Labrador is uncertain. Narrower-leaved plants of subsp. fallax with less leafy, more pyramidal arrays can be difficult to distinguish from Solidago canadensis var. canadensis. Hybridization between the two diploid taxa is likely. Ray laminae tend to be shorter in subsp. fallax than subsp. lepida.