Solidago puberula, the downy goldenrod, is a plant species native to eastern North America from Nova Scotia and Ontario south to Florida and Louisiana. Two subspecies are commonly recognized:
Subsp. pulverulenta has smaller but more numerous leaves, generally 50âÂÂ110 leaves long halfway up the stem, as opposed to 10-60 leaves long for subsp. puberula.
Solidago puberula is a perennial herb up to tall, with a branched woody rootstock. It can have 1-5 puberulent (hairy) stems. Leaves are toothed, tapering at the tip, puberulent on both sides. Flowering heads number 15âÂÂ250, in an elongate, paniculiform array. Ray flowers are yellow, 9âÂÂ16 per head. Disc flowers number 6âÂÂ15 per head, each up to long.
This species is host to the following insect induced gall: