Plants 48-95(-100) cm; caudices branching, woody, rhizomes short, thick. Stems 1-5+ , ascending to erect, glabrous or moderately hairy in arrays. Leaves: rosettes present at flowering, often in large numbers; basal and proximal cauline tapering to long-winged petioles, blades oblanceolate to elongate-elliptic, 140-300 (including petioles) × 33-63 mm, gradually reduced distally, somewhat fleshy-rubbery (fresh), margins serrate (teeth 8-18), apices acuminate, abaxial faces glabrous, adaxial glabrous or sparsely strigose; mid to distal cauline sessile, blades narrowly lanceolate, 35-72 × 9-16 mm, gradually reduced into arrays, tapering to bases, margins entire to slightly serrate, apices acuminate, faces glabrous or sparsely hairy. Heads 20-230 (1-10 per branch), in leafy, short, axillary and terminal, racemo-paniculiform clusters 8-41(-47) cm. Peduncles 5-12 mm, glabrate to sparsely strigose; bracteoles 0(-1). Involucres campanulate, 10-11 mm. Phyllaries in 3-4 series, unequal, outermost ovate, 2.3-3.6 mm, 1-nerved, apices obtuse to acute, innermost linear-oblong, 1-3-nerved (on at least some involucres), apices obtuse to blunt. Ray florets 6-13; laminae 3.3-5 × (1.5-)2-3(-3.5) mm. Disc florets 12-29; corollas 3.7-5.1 mm, lobes 1.5-2.3 mm. Cypselae (obconic) 2-2.6 mm, glabrous or sparsely strigose; pappi 4.8-5.7 mm. 2n = 108, 126.

Flowering Sep-Oct. In shade to full sun, open spruce woods and thickets, exposed rocky outcrops; 1500-2000 m; N.C., Tenn.

Solidago glomerata is found only at the highest elevations of the southern Appalachian Mountains. The cytovoucher for a report from South Carolina is for a specimen of S. faucibus.