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A Forager’s Year

No. 132

Sweet goldenrod

Solidago odora

anise-scented goldenrod

Flowers, buds & pollen flowers (fresh or dried, for tea)

Drawing: Britton & Brown, Illustrated Flora (1913)

Find
Elusive
Effort
Quick kitchen prep
ID risk
Careful
Origin
native
Safety marks
  • Toxic lookalike
Uses
  • Tea

Season

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

in season peak

Picking: No park we checked allows it. Anywhere else, ask whoever owns or runs the land. See Where you may pick.

What these mean

Find

1 Everywhere · 2 Common in the right habitat · 3 Patchy · 4 Elusive. This is about how much there is, not whether you may pick it. It is based on iNaturalist sightings within 25 km (about 15 miles) of downtown DC, counted on October 3, 2026. The four rules that each plant’s “Find” reason refers to: (A) the estimate is the confirmed sightings, plus the unconfirmed ones (scaled down where the plant has lookalikes in its genus), plus the sightings marked as planted; (B) the tier by estimate: 1,500 or more is tier 1, 250–1,499 tier 2, 50–249 tier 3, under 50 tier 4; (C) tier 1, Everywhere, also needs a source saying the plant is common in lawns, sidewalks, yards or gardens, vacant lots or towns, or at least one DC street tree of it per km of sidewalk, otherwise it is tier 2; (D) if a reliable source says the plant is rare in this region, or that wild plants rarely bear the harvest, only planted sightings count. iNaturalist is a website and phone app where people post photos of the plants and animals they see. A sighting is “research grade” when other users have confirmed what it is; “needs ID” sightings are not confirmed yet, and “cultivated” ones are marked as planted.

Effort

1 Grab & eat · 2 Quick kitchen prep (under about 30 minutes) · 3 Real work (hours, or cooking needed for safety) · 4 Project (days or equipment). Scored on the simplest worthwhile use; each plant’s page says why.

ID risk

How hard it is to harvest safely. Beginner: no dangerous lookalike, and the edible part is not easily confused with a toxic part. Careful: a toxic lookalike, or toxic parts that end up in the harvest unless removed (for example elderberry stems, unripe ground cherries), or other parts of the plant rated medium-or-higher toxicity, with reliable features to separate them. Expert only: a potentially deadly lookalike that is hard to separate, or (for not-recommended harvests like pokeweed) a plant whose safe preparation can’t be guaranteed. Toxic parts that are obviously separate and thrown away anyway (pits, seeds, skins) don’t raise it; the Toxic parts mark carries that warning.

Native or not, and the invader stars

Origin is where the plant comes from: native, non-native, or mixed (the harvest covers both). The stars rate plants on invasive plant lists: ★★★ Virginia DCR “High” or Maryland prohibited invasive · ★★ Virginia “Medium” · ★ Virginia “Low” · ☆ listed only by the Maryland Invasive Species Council or the Mid-Atlantic Plant Invaders guide (advisory) · no stars: native or not listed.

Safety marks and flags

Deadly lookalike / Toxic lookalike: a cited source names a lookalike of that danger, recorded near DC (an iNaturalist sighting within 25 km, a DC street tree, or a Smithsonian listing for DC) and looking like the part you eat. Other lookalikes are still listed, marked “not recorded near DC” or as not looking like the part you eat. Deadly means a source says eating it may be fatal or calls it deadly, or NC State rates it high severity with life-threatening symptoms (sources sometimes disagree; for example Virginia creeper). Each plant’s Lookalikes list says how to tell them apart; “harmless (may be edible)” lookalikes are listed so you know a mix-up isn’t dangerous. Cook first: cooking is needed for safety (for daylilies it is a precaution, not a sourced requirement). Eat in moderation: a source says to limit quantity or frequency (for example oxalates in sorrels and dock, ginkgotoxin, safrole). Spray risk: a source says the plant is commonly treated with herbicide in parks or lawns (invasive control, lawn weeds) or, for ginkgo, sprayed to stop fruiting. Contamination: a source says the plant concentrates pollutants. Each plant’s Safety flags list gives the details and sources.

Seasons

Start, peak and end are given in thirds of a month: early, mid or late. A plant counts as in season for a month if it is in season at any point in that month. Some greens and roots have a second window, in spring or fall; their page shows each window. A season that runs across New Year is shown as one window.

What it looks like

A native perennial of the daisy family, 1 to 5 feet tall, that grows in clumps with gracefully arching stems and does not spread aggressively like some other goldenrods (NC State; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center). Its dark green leaves are smooth, untoothed and lance-shaped, up to about 4 inches long, often point downward, and are dotted with tiny translucent spots that show when a leaf is held up to the light (NC State; USGS). Crushed, the leaves usually smell of anise or licorice, which readily sets sweet goldenrod apart from other goldenrods (Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center; Flora of North America). In late summer and early fall, small yellow flower heads crowd one side of arching branches, forming a plume-like, pyramid-shaped cluster (NC State; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center). Eat The Weeds calls it the goldenrod that makes the most pleasant tea; after the Boston Tea Party of 1773 colonists drank it as “Liberty tea”.

Safety

No poisoning of people is reported for sweet goldenrod in the extension and government sources checked; NC State lists no poison for it and says its leaves may be used in teas, and the University of Tennessee Extension says a tea can be brewed from its leaves and dried flowers. Goldenrod can cause allergies: a 2010 study found that goldenrod and latex allergies can cross-react (Journal of Investigational Allergology and Clinical Immunology), and the European Medicines Agency says people allergic to daisy-family (Compositae) plants should not use goldenrod. The European Medicines Agency also says people with a skin allergy (contact dermatitis) to daisy-family plants should avoid touching goldenrod, and Eat The Weeds says goldenrod has been linked to cases of dermatitis. The European Medicines Agency advises against goldenrod tea for people with severe heart or kidney disease who must limit fluids, for those taking diuretic (water) pills, during pregnancy or breastfeeding, and for children under 12, and gives 2 to 4 weeks as the usual length of use; its guidance concerns European goldenrod. The European Medicines Agency also lists allergic reactions and digestive upsets as possible side effects of goldenrod tea. Toxic lookalikes: ragworts and groundsels, which can damage the liver, can look similar to goldenrod to a new forager (Herbal Academy; NC State lists their liver toxicity). Their flower heads are daisy-like, in flat-topped clusters, or have no petals at all, and their leaves are usually lobed, while goldenrod’s tiny heads are massed in cone- or plume-shaped clusters (Clallam County weed board; NC State). Sweet goldenrod’s own leaves are untoothed and unlobed and usually smell of anise when crushed (NC State; Flora of North America). Ragweed blooms at the same time but has greenish flowers in spikes and deeply lobed, fern-like leaves; it causes hay fever and skin rashes (NC State). Eat The Weeds warns that a toxic fungus sometimes found on goldenrod leaves can make tea from them harmful, and that the leaves are toxic to sheep; no extension or government source checked confirms either, but NC State says rust, powdery mildew and leaf spot may occur on sweet goldenrod, so use only clean, unspotted plants. Watch for bees and wasps when gathering the flowers (Nature’s Restaurant).

Lookalikes

Safety flags

Safety marks and flags: what this means

Deadly lookalike / Toxic lookalike: a cited source names a lookalike of that danger, recorded near DC (an iNaturalist sighting within 25 km, a DC street tree, or a Smithsonian listing for DC) and looking like the part you eat. Other lookalikes are still listed, marked “not recorded near DC” or as not looking like the part you eat. Deadly means a source says eating it may be fatal or calls it deadly, or NC State rates it high severity with life-threatening symptoms (sources sometimes disagree; for example Virginia creeper). Each plant’s Lookalikes list says how to tell them apart; “harmless (may be edible)” lookalikes are listed so you know a mix-up isn’t dangerous. Cook first: cooking is needed for safety (for daylilies it is a precaution, not a sourced requirement). Eat in moderation: a source says to limit quantity or frequency (for example oxalates in sorrels and dock, ginkgotoxin, safrole). Spray risk: a source says the plant is commonly treated with herbicide in parks or lawns (invasive control, lawn weeds) or, for ginkgo, sprayed to stop fruiting. Contamination: a source says the plant concentrates pollutants. Each plant’s Safety flags list gives the details and sources.

ID risk
Careful
Why
Toxic lookalikes: ragworts and groundsels (Senecio, Packera and tansy ragwort) can look similar to a new forager (Herbal Academy); their flower heads are daisy-like in flat-topped clusters or have no petals, and their leaves are lobed, while sweet goldenrod’s tiny heads are massed in plume-like clusters over untoothed, unlobed leaves that usually smell of anise when crushed (Clallam County weed board; NC State; Flora of North America). Ragweed, blooming at the same time, has greenish flowers and fern-like leaves (NC State).
Soil risk
moderate
ID risk: what this means

How hard it is to harvest safely. Beginner: no dangerous lookalike, and the edible part is not easily confused with a toxic part. Careful: a toxic lookalike, or toxic parts that end up in the harvest unless removed (for example elderberry stems, unripe ground cherries), or other parts of the plant rated medium-or-higher toxicity, with reliable features to separate them. Expert only: a potentially deadly lookalike that is hard to separate, or (for not-recommended harvests like pokeweed) a plant whose safe preparation can’t be guaranteed. Toxic parts that are obviously separate and thrown away anyway (pits, seeds, skins) don’t raise it; the Toxic parts mark carries that warning.

Soil risk: what this means

Based on the part you eat, following the urban-soil lead guidance on the Field safety page: higher for greens, shoots and roots; moderate for flowers; low for fruit, nuts and sap.

Field safety for every outing (poison ivy, ticks, soil, and more)

When to pick

Starts
early Jul
Peak
early Sep–late Sep
Ends
late Oct

Sweet goldenrod blooms in late summer and early fall: NC State gives August to September for the bloom and July to October for the flowers, and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center gives July to October. Around DC it is logged most from August to October, peaking in September (iNaturalist). Gather the flowers within the first few days of their opening, for the richest flavor (Foraging Texas).

How the dates were worked out

Every start, peak and end was re-checked in October 2026. “Sourced” means a source opened during the check states that timing for the DC or Mid-Atlantic area. “Estimated” means no source states it exactly; the reason, the evidence and the source links are under “How the dates were worked out” on each plant’s page. Peaks are often estimated, because few sources name a peak. iNaturalist evidence means research-grade sightings near DC, by month, of the plant at that stage (for example, in fruit). iNaturalist is a website and phone app where people post photos of the plants and animals they see. A sighting is “research grade” when other users have confirmed what it is; “needs ID” sightings are not confirmed yet, and “cultivated” ones are marked as planted.

Season basis: estimated: peak

Start

sourced

Peak

estimated: No source names a peak, and only one DC record carries a flowering annotation. September is the month DC sightings cluster in and lies inside NC State’s August-September bloom.

End

sourced

Evidence

start: NC State: 'Yellow flowers bloom from July to October.' Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: bloom time July to October. DC iNaturalist sightings including needs-ID, none with a flowering annotation: July 2/1/3, August 4/2/2. | peak: NC State: 'Bloom: Late summer, August-September, fall'. DC iNaturalist sightings including needs-ID: 15 of 52 in September (2 early, 7 mid, 6 late), against 8 in August and 10 in October. | end: NC State: 'Yellow flowers bloom from July to October.' Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center lists bloom time July to October. DC iNaturalist sightings including needs-ID: October 3/5/2, one in early November.

Where to look

Dry, sandy open woods, clearings and old fields, more common in the Coastal Plain than in the Piedmont; it is seldom logged around DC, with no place showing more than one confirmed sighting, and parks around DC do not allow picking leaves or flowers, so gather on private land with the owner’s permission.

Habitats
old fields & meadows, woods edges, trailsides & thickets, upland oak-hickory woods
Habitats: what this means

Listed where the plant’s own sources place it in that habitat. “Disturbed ground & waste places” means a cited source places it on disturbed areas, sites, soil or ground, on waste places or waste ground, on construction or abandoned building sites (old home sites count), on rubble or in strip mines. When the source gives examples of the disturbed places, at least one example must be of that kind. Examples that do not count: natural or forestry disturbance (treefall gaps, fire, windthrow, flood scour, old riverbanks and creeks, clear-cuts); roadsides, railroads and rights-of-way; and abandoned fields, pastures and farmland, which are “Old fields & meadows”. “Vacant lots” only where a source says vacant or empty lots.

Ways to use it

  • tea from the dried flowers, anise-flavored (Foraging Texas; University of Tennessee Extension)
  • tea from fresh flowers and leaves, steeped with mint (Edible Wild Food)
  • harvest the flowers within the first few days of opening, and hang the stalks upside down in a paper bag to dry (Foraging Texas)
  • harvest only some of the flowers: goldenrod is the last nectar source of the season for bees (Foraging Texas)

Keeping

Use them the day you pick them, or hang them to dry for tea.

Use within
pick & use same day
Keeps fresh
Same day; overnight at most in a bag in the fridge (general guidance for edible flowers). University of Minnesota Extension: harvest edible flowers the day you will use them, no more than one day early; wash gently, dry, and refrigerate in plastic bags until use.
Keeping basis
general guidance for its type

Ways to keep it

  • Dry as researched: dry/dehydrate (tea or seasoning); canning: n/a (not shelf-canned)

    Foraging Texas: hang the flower stalks upside down inside a brown paper bag to dry, then steep one teaspoon of the dried flowers in hot water. NCHFP (general guidance for herbs): dry in a dehydrator at 95–115°F for 1 to 4 hours, or hang small bunches inside paper bags, until crispy dry; store airtight in a cool, dry, dark place. Ohio State: dried herbs keep up to a year for best quality.

Canning: what this means

Shelf-stable canning, three levels. Lab-tested: a lab-tested recipe from the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) or Oregon State covers this fruit and product, or a generic recipe for its kind (the line says so, for example chokeberry). Extension recipe: a published Extension recipe (University of Alaska Fairbanks, written for Alaska species; University of Maine’s dandelion jelly), or a process that is safe only with a pH meter; follow it exactly, never improvise. No tested recipe: refrigerate or freeze, don’t can. “Hot-bottled syrup” = maple and walnut syrup, which keep when bottled hot at full syrup density. The Canning line names the exact product each source covers, for example “whole berries” or “juice”; a product not named there (such as juice from a berry with only a whole-berry recipe) has no tested recipe.

Keeping basis: what this means

“Specific to this plant” or “general guidance for its type” (for example NCHFP guidance for leafy greens applied to a wild green).

Nutrition

Not researched: in October 2026, only the calendar’s plants of the month and chicory leaves were researched.

Native or not

Origin
native
Native range
eastern United States, from southern New Hampshire and central New York south to Florida and west to east Texas
Virginia invasive rank
not listed
Maryland invasive status
not listed
Native or not, and the invader stars: what this means

Origin is where the plant comes from: native, non-native, or mixed (the harvest covers both). The stars rate plants on invasive plant lists: ★★★ Virginia DCR “High” or Maryland prohibited invasive · ★★ Virginia “Medium” · ★ Virginia “Low” · ☆ listed only by the Maryland Invasive Species Council or the Mid-Atlantic Plant Invaders guide (advisory) · no stars: native or not listed.

Virginia DCR, Virginia Invasive Plant Species List (effective September 2024), verbatim: "Under the DCR Invasive Species Assessment Protocol, approved by the Virginia Invasive Species Working Group, January 2024, species were ranked as exhibiting high, medium or low levels of invasiveness based on their threat to natural communities and native species. Invasiveness rank is higher for species that: • Alter ecosystem processes, such as succession, hydrology or fire regime. • Are capable of invading undisturbed natural communities. • Cause substantial impacts on rare or vulnerable species or natural communities or high-quality examples of more common communities. • Are found widely distributed and generally abundant where present. • Disperse readily to new areas. • Are difficult to control." The list also states: "The list is for educational purposes only and has no regulatory authority."

Maryland Department of Agriculture, Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant Law and Regulations page, verbatim: "Plants on the Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant List may not be added to stock after the effective date and should not be sold after their phase-out period ends."

No official DC invasive plant list was found.

How the ratings were set

Find
Elusive Estimate 10 = 4 research-grade iNaturalist sightings within 25 km + 48 needs-ID sightings counted at 0.4% (4 of the 971 research-grade Solidago sightings here are sweet goldenrod) + 6 'cultivated' (planted) sightings (rule A); that is tier 4 by count (rule B). Rule D does not apply: the Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora calls sweet goldenrod "infrequent in the n. Piedmont and mountains", which is not rare, and the same atlas calls it "Common in the Coastal Plain", which takes in part of the circle. Final tier 4.
Effort
Quick kitchen prep Snip newly opened flower stalks and steep the fresh flowers in hot water, or hang the stalks to dry and steep a teaspoon of dried flowers.
Find: what this means

1 Everywhere · 2 Common in the right habitat · 3 Patchy · 4 Elusive. This is about how much there is, not whether you may pick it. It is based on iNaturalist sightings within 25 km (about 15 miles) of downtown DC, counted on October 3, 2026. The four rules that each plant’s “Find” reason refers to: (A) the estimate is the confirmed sightings, plus the unconfirmed ones (scaled down where the plant has lookalikes in its genus), plus the sightings marked as planted; (B) the tier by estimate: 1,500 or more is tier 1, 250–1,499 tier 2, 50–249 tier 3, under 50 tier 4; (C) tier 1, Everywhere, also needs a source saying the plant is common in lawns, sidewalks, yards or gardens, vacant lots or towns, or at least one DC street tree of it per km of sidewalk, otherwise it is tier 2; (D) if a reliable source says the plant is rare in this region, or that wild plants rarely bear the harvest, only planted sightings count. iNaturalist is a website and phone app where people post photos of the plants and animals they see. A sighting is “research grade” when other users have confirmed what it is; “needs ID” sightings are not confirmed yet, and “cultivated” ones are marked as planted.

Effort: what this means

1 Grab & eat · 2 Quick kitchen prep (under about 30 minutes) · 3 Real work (hours, or cooking needed for safety) · 4 Project (days or equipment). Scored on the simplest worthwhile use; each plant’s page says why.

Sources

36 sources, each linked to the original.

  1. List of Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Plants of Maryland (March 2026) Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife and Heritage ServiceBacks up: picking rules
  2. Natural Heritage Resources of Virginia: Rare Plants (2026-Fall; published September 2026) Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural HeritageBacks up: picking rules
  3. Rock Creek Park Superintendent’s Compendium National Park ServiceBacks up: picking rules
  4. Flora of North America, vol. 20: Solidago odora (Semple & Cook) Flora of North America Editorial Committee (via eFloras.org)Backs up: description, safety
  5. Solidago odora (Anise-scented Goldenrod, Sweet Goldenrod) Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (University of Texas at Austin)Backs up: description, season, habitat, native or invasive status
  6. Solidago odora (Sweet Goldenrod) NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboxBacks up: description, season, uses, habitat, safety, native or invasive status
  7. Plants of Louisiana: Solidago odora US Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research CenterBacks up: description, uses
  8. Goldenrod Glorified (Green Deane) Eat The WeedsBacks up: description, uses, season, safety
  9. iNaturalist research-grade observations of sweet goldenrod (Solidago odora) within 25 km of downtown DC iNaturalistBacks up: findability
  10. Solidago odora (Sweet Goldenrod) Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora (Virginia Botanical Associates)Backs up: habitat, findability
  11. Checklist of the Vascular Plants of the Washington-Baltimore Area (Shetler & Orli) Smithsonian Institution, Department of BotanyBacks up: habitat, safety
  12. Edible flowers University of Minnesota ExtensionBacks up: keeping
  13. Herbs (drying) National Center for Home Food Preservation (University of Georgia)Backs up: keeping
  14. Food Preservation: Preserving Herbs—Freezing and Drying (HYG-5360) Ohio State University ExtensionBacks up: keeping
  15. USDA PLANTS Database: Solidago odora (SOOD), native status USDA NRCSBacks up: native or invasive status
  16. Virginia Invasive Plant Species List (effective date: September 2024) Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural HeritageBacks up: native or invasive status
  17. Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant Law and Regulations (Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant List, updated January 2026; additions effective July 15, 2026; 'Next Plants To Be Assessed' 2026-2027) Maryland Department of Agriculture, Plant Protection & Weed ManagementBacks up: native or invasive status
  18. Non-Native Invasive Terrestrial Plant Species in the State of Maryland (updates approved through the April 18, 2024 MISC meeting) Maryland Invasive Species CouncilBacks up: native or invasive status
  19. Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas, Field Guide (Swearingen & Fulton, 2022; successor to the NPS/USFWS 5th ed., 2017) Mid-Atlantic Invasive Plant Council / Passiflora Press (hosted by Bugwood/Mid-Atlantic Invaders Tool)Backs up: native or invasive status
  20. Invasive Plants in the District DC Department of Energy & EnvironmentBacks up: native or invasive status
  21. Solidago (Goldenrod) NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboxBacks up: safety
  22. Goldenrod Greens & Flowers Nature’s Restaurant (wild food guide)Backs up: safety
  23. Community herbal monograph on Solidago virgaurea L., herba (EMEA/HMPC/285758/2007, 2008) European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal ProductsBacks up: safety
  24. Addendum to Assessment report on Solidago virgaurea L., herba (EMA/HMPC/637909/2018, 2021) European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal ProductsBacks up: safety
  25. Identification of clinically relevant cross-sensitization between Solidago virgaurea (goldenrod) and Hevea brasiliensis (natural rubber latex) (Bains et al., J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol 2010;20(4):331-9), PubMed abstract Journal of Investigational Allergology and Clinical Immunology (via PubMed, US National Library of Medicine)Backs up: safety
  26. Foraging Goldenrod Herbal AcademyBacks up: safety
  27. Tansy ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris), weed sheet (rev. 1/2026) Clallam County Noxious Weed Control Board (Washington)Backs up: safety
  28. Packera aurea (Golden Ragwort) NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboxBacks up: safety
  29. Senecio vulgaris (Common Groundsel) NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboxBacks up: safety
  30. Ambrosia artemisiifolia (Common Ragweed) NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboxBacks up: safety
  31. Observations (research grade and needs ID) of sweet goldenrod within 25 km of DC, by day iNaturalistBacks up: season
  32. Research-grade observations of sweet goldenrod within 25 km of DC, by month (flowering) iNaturalistBacks up: season
  33. Goldenrod Edible Wild FoodBacks up: uses
  34. Minty Goldenrod Tea Edible Wild FoodBacks up: uses
  35. Solidago odora (Sweet Goldenrod) University of Tennessee Extension, Tennessee Smart YardsBacks up: uses, safety
  36. Goldenrod (Mark Vorderbruggen) Foraging TexasBacks up: uses, season, picking rules, keeping