Phytoneuron

Semple, J.C. and A.V. Gilman. 2015. Soli dago brendiae ( Asteraceae : Astereae) in Vermont. Phytoneuron 2015-40: 1-7.
Published 18 June 2015. ISSN 2153 733X

SOLIDAGO BRENDIAE (ASTERACEAE: ASTEREAE) IN VERMONT

JohnC. Semple
Department of Biology
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
jcsemple@uwaterloo.ca

Arthur V. Gilman
Gilman & Briggs Environmental
1 Conti Circle, Suite 5
Barre, Vermont 05641
avgilman@together.net

ABSTRACT

A small-headed specimen originally identified as Solidago canadensis L. was collected in
Granby, Vermont, in 1973. Recently, Gilman thought the specimen might be S. brendiae Semple and
sent it to Semple for confirmation. The specimen was scored and compared with specimens of S.
brendiae, S. canadensis, S. fallax, and S. rupestris in a set of multivariate analyses and was
consistently placed a posteriori in S. brendiae, confirming Gilman’s identification. This is the first
report of Solidago brendiae from Vermont.

Four taxa of Solidago subsect. Triplinerviae (Torr. & A. Gray) Nesom have been reliably
reported from Vermont: S. altissima L., S. canadensis L. var. canadensis, S. canadensis var. hargeri
Fern., and S. gigantea Ait. (Gilman 2015). Reports of others were either of taxa now placed in
synonymy by Semple (2008) — S. gigantea var. leiophylla Fern, (reported by Fernald 1950) and S.
gigantea var. serotina (Kuntze) Cronq. (reported by Seymour 1969) — or were based on
mis identified specimens: S. altissima subsp. gilvocanescens (Rydb.) Semple, identified as S.
canadensis var. gilvocanescens Rydb. by Eggleston et al. (1915) and by Dole (1937).

In reviewing the collections at the Pringle Herbarium of the University of Vermont (VT),
Gilman recently encountered a specimen, labeled and filed as Solidago canadensis L. that seemed to
match the recently described S. brendiae Semple (Semple 2013).

USA: Vermont: Essex Co.: Granby, 30 Sep 1973, B.H. Stearns s.n. (VT, Figures 1-2).

The specimen had been collected in Essex County in northeastern Vermont, an area that lies at the
southern edge of the North American boreal forest (Thompson & Sorenson 1999). As such, it is
within the potential range of S. brendiae, so the specimen was forwarded for review to Semple, who
determined it as that species and confirmed the identification using multivariate morphometric
analyses. This is the first report of Solidago brendiae from Vermont.

Multivariate analyses to confirm identification of Stearns s.n. (VT)

Using the data and multivariate methods described in Semple et al. (2013, 2015), Stearns s.n.
(VT) was compared with Solidago brendiae (28 specimens; only 19 in some analysis due to lack of
data on several characters for nine specimens), S. canadensis (52 specimens), S. fallax (28 specimens)
and S. rupestris (10 specimens). Although S. rupestris is not reported from further northeast than
eastern Pennsylvania (the range included distantly scattered disjunct populations from Tennessee and
Kentucky to the west and Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania further east; Semple 2015,
occasionally updated), the small heads of the species are similar in size to those of the collection by
Stearns. One discriminant analysis was run including S. rupestris to confirm that the Vermont plant

Semple and Gilman: Solidago brendiae in Vermont 2

it 3

CAN 1

Figure 4. Two dimension plot of CAN1 versus CAN2 scores generated by the Canonical Analysis of specimens
of the Solidago brendiae, S. canadensis, and S fallax\ 95% confidence ellipses are shown for each taxon;
canonical placement of the Stearns s.n (VT) from Vermont is indicated by a star.

Semple and Gilman: Solidago brendiae in Vermont 5

was not a long-distant disjunct of that species. Two other analyses were run including just specimens
of S. brendiae, S. canadensis, and S. fallax, which do or potentially might occur in northern Vermont
and include specimens similar to Stearns s.n. In one analysis Stearns s.n. was not placed in an a priori
group and only assigned to a group a posteriori. In the other analysis, S. rupestris was assigned a
priori to the S. brendiae group.

Table 1. F-matrix for the discriminant analysis of three species groups: S. brendiae, S. canadensis and S. fallax;
Steams s.n. (VT) not assigned to an a priori group.

brendiae

canadensis

fallax

brendiae

0.000

28.842

14.122

canadensis fallax

0.000

30.007 0.000

Wilks' lambda = 0.2085

df = 5 2 105; Approx. F= 24.0358; df = 10 202; p

■rob = 0.0000

Table 2. Results of the Classificatory Discriminant Analysis of three species-level groups S. brendiae, S.
canadensis and S. fallax-. Steams s.n. (VT) and one S. brendiae specimen not assigned to an a priori group;
cases in row categories classified into columns.

Classification matrix

brendiae

canadensis fallax

% correct

brendiae

25

1 0

96

canadensis

5

45 2

87

fallax

2 23

77

Total

35

48 25

86

Not Grouped

2

0 0

Jackknifed classification matrix

brendiae

canadensis fallax

%correct

brendiae

25

1 0

96

canadensis

44 3

85

fallax

4

4 22

73

Total

34

49 25

84

Table 3. F-matrix for the c
Steams s.n. (VT) assigned '

liscrim inant analysis of three species groups: S. brendiae, S. cat
to the S. brendiae a priori group; between groups F-matrix df =

ladensis and S. fallax;
= 1 90.

brendiae

canadensis fallax

brendiae

canadensis

0.000

21.307

14.064

0.000

24.462 0.000

Wilks' lambda = 0.1516 df= 7 2 96; Approx. F=

20.1675; df= 14 180; prob = 0.0000

Semple and Gilman: Solidago brendiae in Vermont 6

Table 4. Results of the Classificatory Discriminant Analysis of three species-level groups S. brendiae, S.
canadensis and S. fallax', Steams s.n. (VT) assigned to the S. brendiae a priori group; cases in row categories
classified into columns.

Classification matrix

brendiae

canadensis

fallax

% correct

brendiae

17

0

2

89

canadensis

2

48

2

92

fallax

o

1

27

96

Total

19

49

31

93

Jackknifed classification matrix

brendiae

canadensis

fallax

% correct

brendiae

canadensis

fallax

17

3

3

47

2

2

23

90

Total

23

49

27

88

In all three analyses, Stearns s.n. was placed a posteriori in the Classificatory Discriminant
Analysis into Solidago brendiae. In the analysis including S. rupestris, Stearns s.n. was assigned a
priori to S. brendiae and placed a posteriori into S. brendiae with 89% probability (11% probability to
S. canadensis, and 0% to S. fallax and S. rupestris). The results of the analysis including S. rupestris
are not discussed further.

In the analysis without Solidago rupestris and with Stearns s.n. not assigned to an a priori
group, outer and inner phyllary length traits were not included in the analysis, which meant all 27
specimens of S. brendiae were included The following traits were selected in the Stepwise
Discriminant Analysis as strongest in separating the three a priori groups in order of decreasing F-to-
remove values in parentheses: number of disc florets (14.14), number of ray florets (11.54), upper
leaf length (10.56), mid leaf width at the widest point (10.53), and involucre height (8.30). Table 1
presents the F-matrix results and Table 2 presents the a posteriori Classification Matrix and Jackknife
Classification Matrix results. Stearns s.n. was assigned a posteriori to S. brendiae and with 69%
probability (23% probability to S. canadensis, and 8% to S. fallax).

In the analysis without Solidago rupestris and with Stearns s.n. assigned a priori to the S.
brendiae group, outer and inner phyllary length traits were included in the analysis which meant only
19 specimens of S. brendiae were included. The following traits were selected in the STEPDISC
analysis as strongest in separating the three a priori groups in order of decreasing F-to-remove values
in parentheses: upper leaf length (18.21), number of ray florets (12.68), inner phyllary length (11.04),
involucre height (6.64), upper leaf margin number of serrations (6.47), number of disc florets
(12.32), disc floret lobe length (5.42). Table 3 presents the F-matrix results and Table 4 presents the a
posteriori Classification Matrix and Jackknife Classification Matrix results. Stearns s.n. was placed a
posteriori into S. brendiae with 99% probability (1% probability to S. canadensis, and 0% to S.
fallax). The results of the canonical analysis (dimension reduction technique) are shown in Figure 3;

Semple and Gilman: Solidago brendiae in Vermont 7

for clarity, the position of Stearns s.n. is shown by a yellow star which is nested within the 95%
confidence limits ellipse of the S. brendiae group (red dots), to which it was assigned a priori.

Comments on Stearns s.n. (VT)

The circumstances of the Vermont collection are of interest. Frank C. Seymour, author of the
Flora of Vermont, ed. 4 (Seymour 1969) was Associate Curator of the Pringle Herbarium. He was
also associated with the Vermont Botanical and Bird Club, which in the early 1970’s was preparing a
new Check List of the Plants of Vermont (Atwood et al. 1973). In the interest of “filling in the
blanks” by obtaining new county records, Seymour made numerous trips with students to under-
collected areas of the state to collect voucher specimens for the Check List. Solidago brendiae was
collected on one such trip, 30 September 1972. Seymour was careful to label specimens with then-
actual collector, and inspection of specimens at VT shows that students on the Granby trip included
B.H. Stearns. R.D. Paul, and S.R. Bassett. Specimens collected by them or by Seymour himself in
Granby on 30 September 1972 included at least the following (there may be others: a complete
database of Vermont specimens at VT is not prepared as yet): Abies balsamea, Acer saccharum,
Actaea pachypoda, Agrimonia striata, Aralia racemosa, Betula alleghaniensis, Dichanthelium
acuminatum var. implication, Diphasiastrum complanatum, Doellingeria umbellata, Eleocharis
ovata, Fagus grandifolia, Galeopsis tetrahit var. bifida, Hypericum boreale, Hypericum perforatum,
Juncus bufonius, Larix laricina. Lobelia inflata, Picea glauca, Pilosella aurantiaca. Prunella
vulgaris subsp. lanceolata, Rubus idaeus var. strigosus, Scirpus cyperinus, Scirpus georgianus,
Solidago rugosa, Sorbus americana. Spiraea alba var. latifolia. Spiraea tomentosa. Taraxacum
officinale, Triadenum fraseri, Uvularia sessilifolia, Vaccinium myrtilloides, Veronica officinalis, and
Zizia aurea.

All of these species, with the exception of Scirpus georgianus, are very common plants in the
region and throughout Vermont and give little clue to pinpointing an exact location within the
township of Granby where Solidago brendiae may now occur. Any of them may have been collected
on roadsides or adjacent forests. Granby has no paved roads but an extensive network of logging
roads, and the forest products industry is the major economic activity. It is of typical areal size for
Vermont towns (ca. 39 square miles) with a population of fewer than 100.

LITERATURE CITED

Atwood, J.T. et al., Committee on Plant Distribution. 1973. Check List of Vermont Plants. Vermont
Botanical and Bird Club, Burlington.

Seymour, F.C. 1969. The Flora of Vermont, 4th ed. Vermont Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 660.

Gilman, AV. 2015 (in press). New Flora of Vermont. Mem. New YorkBot. Gard. 110.

Semple, J.C. 2013. A new species of Triplinerviae goldenrod in eastern Canada (Asteraceae:
Astereae): Solidago brendiae. Phytoneuron 2013-57: 1-9.

Semple, J.C. 2015, occasionally updated. Solidago rupestris Rock Goldenrod. (14 November 2013
entry) <https://uwaterloo.ca/astereae-lab/research/goldenrods/classificaticn-and-illustrations/solidago-
rupestris>

Semple, J.C., H. Rahman, S. Bzovsky, M.K. Sorour, K. Kornobis, R. Lopez Laphitz, and L. Tong.
2015. A multivariate morphometric study of the Solidago altissima complex and S.
canadensis (Asteraceae: Astereae). Phytoneuron 2015-10: 1-31.

Semple, J.C., H. Faheemuddin, Y A Chong, M.K. Sorour, J. A. Hood, I. Khamis, Y Ma, andK.

Kornobis. 2013. A multivariate morphometric study of the Solidago canadensis! S. lepida
complex of Solidago subsect. Triplinerviae. I. Northeastern taxa (Asteraceae: Astereae).
Phytoneuron 2013-58: 1-20.

Thompson, E.H. and E.R. Sorenson. 1999. Wetland, Woodland, Wildland, A Guide to the Natural

Communities of Vermont. The Nature Conservancy and the Vermont Department of Fish and
Wildlife. Montpelier.