Solidago odora Aiton

Plants 60–120 cm; caudices short, stout. Stems 1–5+, erect to arching, puberulent in arrays and in lines proximal to leaf bases or uniformly. Leaves usually anise-scented when crushed ; basal and proximal usually withering by flowering, tapering to broadly winged petioles, blades oblanceolate, margins entire, short-strigillose, faces glabrous or short scabroso-strigillose along main nerves; mid and distal cauline sessile, blades lanceolate to linear-lanceolate or narrowly ovate, 30–110 × 8–20 mm, much reduced distally, bases rounded, margins entire, midnerves prominent, sometimes scabroso-strigillose basally to much of length, apices acute, faces glabrous, finely translucent gland-dotted. Heads (20–)75–350, in paniculiform arrays, openly secund, pyramidal, proximal to mid branches ascending to spreading, recurved, secund, 3–18 cm. Peduncles thin, 2–8 mm, glabrate to finely puberulent, glabrous strips proximal to few linear-lanceolate bracteoles. Involucres narrowly campanulate, 3.5–5 mm. Phyllaries in 3–4 series, strongly unequal, yellowish, acute, glabrous; outer narrowly ovate to lanceolate, inner lanceolate to linear-lanceolate. Ray florets 3–4(–6); laminae 1.4–2.5 × 0.4–0.9 mm. Disc florets 3–5; corollas 2.7–3.5 mm, lobes 0.5–1.3 mm. Cypselae (obconic) 1.4–2.3 mm, strigose to glabrate; pappi 2.4–3 mm.

Sandy and clay soils, dry open woods, pine barrens, damp peaty pine woods, sand hills, edges of oak and pine woods, disturbed areas, roadside embankments from sea level to 700 metres.

The leaves have a sweet smell and are dried and made into licorice or anise scented tea. The dried flowers are used for tea.

Can be grown by divisions or seedlings.