SCIWAY News No. 75 – September 2009

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Two for the Road! Autumn's SC State Symbols – Goldenrod and Sweetgrass

— Goldenrod & Sweetgrass in Bloom in the Fall —
Photo by Elizabeth McConnell of Hamlin Farms

• Goldenrod was almost passed over as our state symbol for Queen's Anne Lace – which isn't even native to our state!
  
  
• Despite common folklore, Goldenrod does not cause allergies – that blame goes to its pesky partner ragweed, which also bears yellow flowers in the fall.
  
  
• Goldenrod is really important to South Carolina bees, who feast on it each autumn in preparation for the cold winter months ahead.
  
  
• South Carolina's Native Americans called Goldenrod "Sun Medicine" because of its bright color. They would cook the leaves and flowers together and put the mixture on cuts and wounds to promote a speedy recovery.
  
  
• Back in the 1920s, before the Germans figured out how to make synthetic tires from coal and petroleum, Henry Ford and Firestone paid nearly 100 grand to determine a plant-based source for rubber. Who did they pick to head up the experiments? None other than Thomas Edison himself! And which plant did he decide worked best? You guessed it – goldenrod!

	GOLDENROD WILDFLOWER		EASTERN TIGER SWALLOWTAIL		WILD TURKEY

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