Zig-Zag Goldenrod
Propagation
Seed Treatment and Storage: store seed cool & dry; cold/moist stratify 60-90 days OR sow at 70 deg. F.
Biocultural Value
The Chippewa chewed zigzag goldenrod root for a sore throat, the Haudenosaunee took a compound decoction of the plant to treat biliousness, the Menominee made a snuff of the dried leaves for headaches, and the Potawatomi treated fevers with whole-plant infusion.
Wildlife Value
Many songbirds consume small amounts of goldenrod seed, while grouse and other gamebirds eat the leaves. Small mammals and white-tailed deer also eat the seed heads and foliage from time to time. Zigzag goldenrod is a larval host plant for the bilobed dichomeris (Dichomeris bilobella), brown hooded owlet (Cucullia convexipennis), and twirler moth (Gnorimoschema gallaeasterella). Most floral visitors, including sweat bees (Lasioglossum spp.), yellow-faced bees (Hylaeus spp.) and green sweat bees (Agapostemon spp), visit the flowers for nectar. Only a few species collect pollen from zigzag goldenrod, among them the specialist mining bees Andrena hirticincta, A. placata, and A. simplex, which only visit goldenrods and asters.
