My MIL finds Goldenrod so lovely, she always brings a bouquet in for her living room. Did so even when Goldenrod was erroneously blamed for fall allergies ("Doesn't make me sneeze," she'd say. "Isn't it pretty?")

And she was right.

Ragweed's to blame for most hay fever, blooming at the same time as Goldenrod. I didn't know there were so many varieties of Goldenrod, but shouldn't have been surprised. Native to the Americas, it's been a garden plant in Europe and has naturalized itself there, too. Thomas Edison (according to Wikipedia) produced rubber with it -- "However, even though Edison turned his research over to the U.S. government a year before his death, goldenrod rubber never went beyond the experimental stage."

"The variety Solidago virgaurea is a traditional kidney tonic. It has aquaretic, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic and antiseptic action and seems to increase kidney output."

www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/pl … enrodx.htm

I expect this to be my last post until Sept. 8  [though will update later this evening]  -- looking forward to Germany and Switzerland! Naturally, I'll have photos. Will try not to go on and on and on and on with them, however.