A perennial from horizontal roots that sprout new plants along their length standing one to two feet tall. The smooth leaves are narrow and sometimes toothed near the tip. Bright yellow flower heads form a roughly triangular cluster at the top of the plant. It grows on moist to dry meadows and swals and open or sparsely wooded slopes from the lowlands to middle elevations in the mountains. It is found thinly scattered across southeastern Idaho.
Caution: Many people are allergic to goldenrod.
Food Uses:
The flowers are edible and may be used as a salad
garnish. The seeds are also edible and are used as a thickening for stews
or gravies. The plant is frequently used as a tea, needs sweetening. It
may be cooked like spinach or added to soups and stews.
Medicinal Uses:
Goldenrod is used a a cold or flu remedy The
tea is used to for intestinal as, cramp, and weakness of the bowels and bladder.
It is also useful to stop bleeding.