Solidago - not solidago...
When learning to identify a group of plants, it can be helpful to figure out how to tell when it is definitely not the thing you are trying to learn to identify. So here's some things to help you decide if a plant is solidago or not solidago...
If the flowers are any color other than yellow or white, it is not a solidago. Most solidagos have bright yellow flowers - a few species are white. If the flowers are red, blue, purple or green - not a solidago.
If the plant has a persistent woody stem like a tree or a shrub, it is not a solidago. All solidagos are herbaceous- their stems do not have a woody core. When a herbaceous plant emerges from dormancy, it grows new stems from buds at ground level. No new growth begins from buds above ground on the previous years stems.
If the plant is taller than 3 meters, it probably isn't a solidago. The tallest species can grow to around 2.5 meters but most species are much shorter.
If the plant does not have compound flowers, it is not a solidago. Each solidago flower is made up of tiny individual florets packed together-a ring of pistillate ray florets surrounding a group of perfect disc florets, each capable of making a single seed. If the compound flower is all ray florets or all disc florets then it is not a solidago.
Compound flowers are surrounded by a ring of specialized leaves known as phyllaries (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyllary). Solidagos have two to four rings of overlapping phyllaries, each with a single translucent central vein.
Solidagos are native to North and South America, the Azores, Europe and Asia. The highest species diversity is found in the solidagos growing in North America.
Diversions
Silicon Valley: Season 4 Episode 4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqTntG1RXSY
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