golden

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Nature loves diversity, just look at goldenrod.

"Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains," by Richard Smith is a comprehensive guide of our area. Published by The University of Tennessee Press this book describes over 1,200 flowering plants, with color photos of 600.

As Smith admits, "Without a doubt, the goldenrods are the most difficult" to identify. His book lists 25 separate species of the gold-topped wildflower. Most are very similar, with small yellow-gold flowers arranged in clusters at the tops of tall stems. The differences are in the types of clusters and shapes of the leaves. Yes, nature loves diversity.

The species names are confusing as well. There's tall goldenrod, mountain goldenrod, hairy goldenrod, slender goldenrod, early goldenrod, late goldenrod, showy goldenrod, stout goldenrod, sweet goldenrod, skunk goldenrod and false goldenrod. The list goes on. It's easy to get bogged down in the names. In truth, there is even a bog goldenrod.

But what’s in a name? As Romeo's Juliet might have said, "What's in a name? A goldenrod by any other name would smell as sweet ... or be as confusing."

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