Euthamia graminifolia (L.) Nutt.
Flat-top goldentop, lance-leaved goldenrod, grass-leaved goldenrod, flat-topped goldentop
Flat-top goldentop, or lance-leaved goldenrod, is a North American native. It has become naturalized in Europe and Asia. It is not a true goldenrod, though it is often classified as such, hence the name “goldentop” is now preferred. For a comparison table of goldenrods and similar species, see Solidago.
Plants: 1–6′ (30–182 cm) tall, often branched only slightly, sometimes heavily-branched and bushy. Stems typically have rows of fine white hairs.
Leaves: Lance-shaped leaves contain 3 veins running along the length of the vein. Sometimes there are 1 or 5 veins, depending upon leaf size. Leaves are 3–6 ⨉ ⅛–⅝″ (7.6–15 cm ⨉ 3.2–15 mm), resembling grass blades, and attached directly to the stem (”sessile”). Leaves have resinous dots.
Flowers: Large, flat-topped or umbrella-shaped yellow flower clusters appear atop each stem. Each flower in the flowerhead is only ⅛″ (3.2 mm) across. It has 7-35 ray florets and 3-13 disc florets. Flowerheads tend to bloom gradually, not all at once, emitting a modest, sweet scent.
Fruits: Seeds are hard, pubescent, one-seeded, indehiscent white nutlets, 1/32″ (0.5 mm) long. Each seed is attached to hairlike pappus.
Habitats: Fallow fields, waste places, fencerows, and vacant lots.
(A similar species, Euthamia gymnospermoides or plains grass-leaved goldenrod, has only a single major vein in even the largest leaves, and hairless stems. Each flower consists of 12-20 tiny florets, vs. 21-35 in lance-leaved goldenrod.)
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Some Euthamias. |
Online References:
References:
Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, p, 158
8/15/2015 · Grafton Notch State Park, Newry, Maine · ≈ 5 × 6″ (13 × 15 cm) 
8/15/2021 · Bass Falls Preserve, Alna, Maine · ≈ 6 × 4″ (16 × 10 cm) 
7/26/2025 · River Point Conservation Area, Falmouth, Maine · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm) 
8/16/2014 · White Mountains, New Hampshire · ≈ 6 × 5″ (14 × 12 cm) 
8/24/2013 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) 
ID is uncertain 
8/25/2017 · Pack Monadnock, near summit, Peterborough, New Hampshire · ≈ 3½ × 5″ (8.7 × 13 cm) 
8/25/2013 · Casalis State Forest, Elm Hill Rd, Peterborough, New Hampshire · ≈ 11 × 7″ (28 × 18 cm) ID is uncertain 
8/4/2009 · Near Nashoba Hospital, Ayer, Massachusetts · ≈ 11 × 7″ (26 × 17 cm) ID is uncertain 
8/15/2021 · Bass Falls Preserve, Alna, Maine · ≈ 6 × 3½″ (14 × 9.4 cm) 
8/25/2017 · Pack Monadnock, near summit, Peterborough, New Hampshire · ≈ 3½ × 5″ (8.7 × 13 cm) 
8/28/2020 · Jack’s and Litchfield Trails, Chase Reserve, Brunswick, Maine · ≈ 6 × 4″ (14 × 10 cm) 
9/3/2020 · Mitchell Field, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) 
8/25/2017 · Pack Monadnock, near summit, Peterborough, New Hampshire · ≈ 3½ × 4″ (8.7 × 10 cm) 
8/28/2020 · Jack’s and Litchfield Trails, Chase Reserve, Brunswick, Maine · ≈ 6 × 4″ (14 × 10 cm) 
8/1/2021 · Houghton Graves Park, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 4½ × 3″ (11 × 7.5 cm) 
8/15/2021 · Bass Falls Preserve, Alna, Maine · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 9 cm) 
8/4/2009 · Near Nashoba Hospital, Ayer, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 6″ (21 × 14 cm) ID is uncertain 
8/24/2013 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm) ID is uncertain 
8/16/2014 · White Mountains, New Hampshire · ≈ 10 × 7″ (25 × 16 cm) 
That’s an American painted lady butterfly (Vanessa virginiensis) · 8/6/2025 · Linekin Preserve and Burley Loop, Boothbay, Maine · ≈ 4 × 4″ (10 × 10 cm) 
8/13/2025 · Big Falls Preserve, New Gloucester, Maine · ≈ 2 × 1′ (57 × 38 cm) 
8/1/2021 · Houghton Graves Park, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 5 × 3″ (12 × 8.4 cm) 
7/26/2025 · River Point Conservation Area, Falmouth, Maine · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm) 
8/24/2013 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (11 × 17 cm) ID is uncertain 
8/15/2015 · Grafton Notch State Park, Newry, Maine · ≈ 5 × 5″ (12 × 13 cm) 
8/15/2021 · Bass Falls Preserve, Alna, Maine · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 9 cm) 
8/16/2014 · White Mountains, New Hampshire · ≈ 6 × 9″ (15 × 22 cm) 
8/1/2021 · Houghton Graves Park, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 4 × 2½″ (10 × 7 cm) 
8/24/2013 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (12 × 18 cm) ID is uncertain 
7/26/2025 · River Point Conservation Area, Falmouth, Maine · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Asterales | Flowering plants with a central disk flower and surrounding petals, like daisies |
| Family | Asteraceae | The aster family, which also includes daisies and sunflowers; from the Greek ἀστήρ, “star,” for the star-shaped flowers |
| Genus | Euthamia | Greek for “well-crowded,” from the dense flowerheads |
| Species | graminifolia | With grasslike foliage |
Euthamia graminifolia description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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