Pity the poor goldenrod. Perhaps no native Alabama plant has been more disrespected.

This time of year, the bright yellow spires of the goldenrod are ubiquitous – providing bursts of brilliant color along Alabama roads and hillsides.

Many folks malign the majestic goldenrod, blaming this sunny harbinger of fall for their hay fever. While handling goldenrod can cause an allergic reaction, this unfortunate flower has been widely, and falsely, accused. Ragweed – a pest if there ever was one – is the real culprit for most allergy sufferers’ seasonal misery.

It’s far from the only indignity endured by the goldenrod. The Alabama Legislature can be blamed for once raising up, and then, with great ceremony, publicly trashing the stately Solidago.

In 1927, state lawmakers approved a bill designating the goldenrod the state flower of Alabama – the same day the Yellowhammer became the state bird. But according to the Alabama Department of Archives and History website , a group of ladies from Butler County raised a ruckus about the goldenrod’s elevation; they viewed it as little more than a weed and undeserving of such lofty status. They petitioned the politicians and, in 1959, persuaded the Legislature to strip the goldenrod of its official position, replacing it with the camellia.

To some it was an outrageous usurpation, considering that the camellia, while lovely, is not native to the state. It was also confusing, since there are several types of camellia.

Forty years later, in June 1999, the Legislature offered some clarification: it voted to name the Camellia japonica (a carpetbagger hailing originally from China and Japan) the state flower. Perhaps to appease those offended by the camellia’s troubling provenance, lawmakers also designated, for the first time, a state wildflower – but not the once-honored goldenrod.

Instead, the duly elected solons on Goat Hill selected the honorable – and true native – oak-leaf Hydrangea as Alabama’s official wildflower, leaving the goldenrod in the proverbial ditch, where it continues to thrive every autumn.

It should be noted that the goldenrod isn’t just beautiful; it’s useful.

Goldenrod is edible, and its dried leaves and flowers can be brewed to make an anise-flavored tea. It has also been found in some studies to help reduce pain and swelling; to act as a diuretic to increase urine flow; to stop muscle spasms; to relieve gout, joint pain and arthritis; and to soothe skin irritations. Be sure to consult your doctor before considering goldenrod as a potential remedy for any health condition.

So the next time you glance out the window along the interstate, and see our Alabama native goldenrod waving in the wind, wave back. It deserves a little respect.

– Michael Sznajderman