Flower profile

Tall goldenrod

Solidago altissima

★ Official state wildflower of South Carolina (2003)Native in the lower 48

Tall goldenrod is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 3 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in August–November.

43states

3of our state lists

9,095U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina

🏅

South Carolina's official state wildflower since 2003. Visit the South Carolina page → ^{S.C. Code § 1-1-704}

Quick look

Solidago altissima, the tall goldenrod or late goldenrod, is a North American species of goldenrod in the family Asteraceae which is widespread across much of Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico. It is common in much of its range and fairly tolerant of landscapes which have been disturbed by humans. It has become naturalized in many parts of the world.
From Wikipedia's article Solidago altissima, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Asteraceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 43 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Mississippi, Louisiana and South Carolina. ^NatureServe
In Mississippi, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in August–November. ^iNaturalist
In Louisiana, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in October–December. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as yellow. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as late spring. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 5 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 473 research-grade sightings of it in Mississippi, ranking #38 among the 110 flowers on our Mississippi list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 466 research-grade sightings of it in Louisiana, ranking #74 among the 109 flowers on our Louisiana list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 62 research-grade sightings of it in South Carolina, ranking #104 among the 111 flowers on our South Carolina list. ^iNaturalist

Tall goldenrod gift ideas

Handmade tall goldenrod gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

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Tall goldenrod art print
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Tall goldenrod greeting card
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Tall goldenrod mug
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Tall goldenrod earrings
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Tall goldenrod embroidery pattern
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Tall goldenrod sticker
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (2,245 records)

Bloom time in each of our 3 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Mississippi	Native	August–November	473
Louisiana	Native	October–December	466
South Carolina	Native	few records	62

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Mississippi: No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Mississippi.
Louisiana: No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Louisiana.
South Carolina: No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in South Carolina.
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records tall goldenrod in 43 states plus Washington, D.C.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin; District of Columbia.

Mississippi counties with USDA records: Copiah, DeSoto, Forrest, Lafayette, Lauderdale, Leake, Lee, Marshall, Panola, Perry, Pontotoc, Rankin, Scott, Washington, Winston.

Louisiana counties with USDA records: Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu, Caldwell, Cameron, Catahoula, Claiborne, Concordia, De Soto, East Baton Rouge, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Iberia, Iberville, Jackson, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, LaSalle, Lafayette, Lafourche, Lincoln, Livingston, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Orleans, Ouachita, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. John the Baptist, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Tensas, Terrebonne, Union, Vermilion, Vernon, Washington, Webster, West Baton Rouge, West Carroll, West Feliciana, Winn.

South Carolina counties with USDA records: Abbeville, Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Cherokee, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Dillon, Dorchester, Fairfield, Florence, Georgetown, Greenville, Greenwood, Horry, Jasper, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lee, Lexington, Marlboro, McCormick, Newberry, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg, York.

More Mississippi flowers

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Firewheel

Gaillardia pulchella

★ OK state wildflowerNative

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White beggarticks

Bidens alba

🌼 Blooms in MS: January–December

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile SOAL6.
iNaturalist, Solidago altissima: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Solidago altissima (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
S.C. Code § 1-1-704: South Carolina state wildflower.
Mississippi: Mississippi Noxious Weed List (2 Miss. Code R. 1-3-01-136.01).
South Carolina: South Carolina State Plant Pest List, plants (S.C. Code Regs. 27-135; Clemson Dept. of Plant Industry).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Solidago altissima (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: cwarneke via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.