Gray Goldenrod

The arrays can be elongate with ends bent nearly 90–180°.

Plants 20–100 cm; caudices short-branched. Stems 1–6(–10) , erect, short-canescent (hairs ascending to appressed). Leaves: basal and proximal cauline tapering to long, winged petioles, blades spatulate-ovate to oblanceolate, 20–95 × 7–15 mm, margins crenate to entire, apices acute, faces densely puberulent; mid and distal cauline (sometimes subtending axillary tufts of lateral branch leaves) sessile, blades linear-oblance-olate, 16–45 × 3–7 mm, reduced distally, margins entire. Heads 10–300, secund, in wandlike pyramidal, paniculiform arrays, secund to apically recurved, 8–25 × 2.5–10 cm, sometimes proximal branches elongate, repeating pattern. Peduncles 2–3.5 mm, bracteoles 0–4, linear. Involucres narrowly campanulate, 2.6–5.8 mm. Phyllaries in 3 series, ovate to linear-lanceolate, unequal, outer acute, inner obtuse. Ray florets 5–11; laminae 2.8–5.5 × 0.3–0.7 mm. Disc florets 3–10; 2.5–4.6 mm, lobes 0.4-0.6 mm. Cypselae (obconic) 0.5–2 mm, strigose; pappi 2–4 mm.