Stiff goldenrod
Solidago rigida
A well-behaved native goldenrod with flat-topped yellow late-summer bloom heads and strong fall pollinator value.
Native: 37 US states + 4 CA provinces
Climate fit: broad (87/100)
Pollinator
Filler
Light
Full sun
Water
Low water
Mature size
36-60" tall · 24" apart
Hardy in zones
3a-9b
brutally cold to frosty winters
AHS heat range
4-11
Plant range authored in AHS heat-zone terms.
Native in Illinois
Yes
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Native across 41 US states and Canadian provinces — a wide-ranging part of North America's plant communities.
Cold hardiness
These values are location-based: this location's current hardiness is the baseline, and the 2050 value is a projected future climate for this same location.
Now
Zone 6b
Plotwright
USDA Zone 6b
-5°F to 0°F
Well-suited
Zone 7a
Plotwright
0°F to 5°F
Well-suited
In plain terms: This location has cold winters. Its winters are projected to keep warming through 2050.
✓
Well-suited today and still thriving in 2050.
Heat tolerance
Heat tolerance values are location-based too: heat days today are observed at this site, and the 2050 value projects this same location under a future climate.
Loading AHS heat-zone data for this location...
Where this plant fits
Suitable across 41 ecoregions — 40 climate-resilient through 2070 · 1 suited today. Best matches first.
Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests
›
Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests
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Arizona Mountains forests
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Atlantic coastal pine barrens
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Blue Mountains forests
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Canadian Aspen forests and parklands
›
Central Pacific Northwest coastal forests
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Central Tallgrass prairie
›
Central-Southern Cascades Forests
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Chilean Matorral
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Similar plants
Browse lateral options with similar roles, light needs, size, or native-range overlap; these are not filtered for a better climate fit.
Rudbeckia fulgida
Black-eyed Susan
A tough, bright perennial for sunny borders, pollinator patches, and late-summer color.
Asclepias syriaca
Common milkweed
A native, colony-forming milkweed for sunny pollinator meadows, monarch habitat, and larger naturalized areas.
Achillea millefolium
Common yarrow
A drought- and heat-tolerant perennial in the daisy family with fern-like aromatic foliage and flat-topped flower clusters. Native to temperate North America, Europe, and western Asia; one of the most climate-resilient pollinator plants for full-sun beds, lawn alternatives, and naturalized meadows.
Phlox paniculata
Garden phlox
A native upright perennial with fragrant midsummer flower panicles in pink, white, lavender, or red — a classic border anchor and hummingbird-friendly choice for sunny beds.
Zizia aurea
Golden alexanders
A clump-forming native perennial of the carrot family that opens flat-topped, compound umbels of tiny golden-yellow flowers in late spring, when little else is blooming. The toothed, twice-divided-in-threes (biternate) foliage and the bare central flower stalk on each umbel set it apart from other umbellifers. A documented larval host for the black swallowtail and an early-season nectar and pollen source for short-tongued native bees.
Echinacea purpurea
Purple coneflower
A drought-tolerant native perennial of the central and eastern United States with long summer bloom, strong pollinator value, and winter seedheads for birds.
Sources & citations
Cite this page
For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.
Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Stiff goldenrod (Solidago rigida). Retrieved 2026, June 24, from https://plotwright.com/plants/solidago-rigida
Sources for every fact
Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited - 18 source-backed.
Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder
Botanical research database
Backs 17 fields
Identity
Summary
Plant type
Light
Moisture
Hardiness
Heat zone
Size
Spacing
Habit
Design roles
Seasonal interest
Growth stages
Lifecycle
Regional guidance
Success tips
Designer notes