November 5, 20133
Goldenrods and Asters
Very few people who like flowers would confuse asters, which are usually blue or purple, and goldenrods, which (as their name suggests) are golden yellow. When the flowers of these plants go to seed, however, the differences are not so obvious. These photos of Seaside Goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens) seedheads on the left and New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) seedheads on the right look very similar. Their resemblance points to the fact that both asters and goldenrods are in the same Family (Asteraceae) and Tribe (Asterae). All members of this tribe produce seeds with fluffy parachutes that allow the seeds to be dispersed by the wind.