Wakefield Museums and Castles

Helen also helped with the tansy. She then potted cuttings from the discarded foliage of the cotton lavender and curry plants. Helen also chatted to another family from the USA.

Carole continued to chop-back the motherwort, vervain and sorrel. Last week, Carole finished the day with her hair full of spiders. Today it was seeds!

After the flowers are spent, they form a small, one-seeded fruit called an 'achene'. This is topped with a hairy 'pappus'. This creates fluffy white seed heads which are scattered by the wind.

In all varieties, it is vital that goldenrod is cut back before these seeds blow away. Otherwise, the plant easily spreads to neighbouring properties.

The yellow flowers are edible. They can be used to add colour and flavour to salads. 

The leaves are spinach-like. They can be cooked and added to soups, stews, and casseroles.

Goldenrod produces vibrant yellow to orange and green dyes. The colour made depends on the mordant used. For golden-yellow, an alum mordant is used. An iron mordant will move the colour to sage and olive greens.

Goldenrod is associated with Demeter, the Greek goddess of the harvest. It is also linked to Freyja, the Norse Goddess of love and magic.

Goldenrod has been claimed to have phytoremediation properties. This is where living plants are used to clean up soil, air and water contaminated with hazardous substances. This is based on goldenrod's ability to transfer iron from soil.

In some folklore, goldenrod was used as a divining rod. It was used to find hidden springs, lost items, buried treasure and gold. Similarly, it was used in divination rituals to seek guidance, reveal the future, and find hidden knowledge.

The sudden appearance of goldenrod near one's home was once seen as a sign of good luck and prosperity to come. However, goldenrod, especially Solidago canadensis, has become an invasive species in many parts of the world. It has caused problems in Japan, Europe and Africa. It has been a particular issue in China. By 2004, goldenrod had caused the extinction of 30 native plants in the Shanghai province. 

Goldenrod is often said to cause hayfever in humans (although this is not the case).

Goldenrods, in general, are attractive sources of nectar for bees, flies, wasps, and butterflies. European goldenrod is pollinated by the Cryptic Bumble Bee (Bombus cryptarum).

Goldenrod was valued for its astringent and antiseptic properties. It was one of the main wound and bleeding-related remedies of the Middle Ages.

Traditionally, the aerial parts of the plant have been used as a treatment for diabetes, allergies, gastrointestinal disorders, rheumatism and gout. Goldenrod was also used for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects.

In Russian folk tradition, goldenrod is also known as a haemostatic (blood-stopping) and astringent (skin-tightening) agent. It is also known as good remedy for respiratory diseases, gallstone diseases, and pulmonary tuberculosis.

*As always, this isn't to be considered medical advice today. Please don't use any plants mentioned in these blogs as medicine without advice from a doctor.