Burke: Symphyotrichum ericoides vs. Symphyotrichum hallii

	Symphyotrichum ericoides	Symphyotrichum hallii
	heath-leaved aster, tufted white prairie aster	Hall's aster
Habit	Fibrous-rooted perennial from a crown or rhizomes, the stems clustered, 3-20 dm. tall; herbage rough with usually spreading hairs.	Fibrous-rooted perennial from a rhizome or branched base, the stems 2-10 dm. tall, pubescent at least above.
Leaves	Leaves opposite, numerous, firm, linear, often spine-tipped, up to 7 cm. long and 5 mm. wide.	Lower leaves linear, petiolate, entire, pubescent, early-deciduous; middle and upper leaves linear, sessile, entire, usually pubescent, 2-10 cm. long.
Flowers	Heads numerous, small, the disk only 4-8 mm. wide, somewhat one-sided on the ascending branches; involucre 4-6 mm. high, its bracts imbricate, the outer with green tips, obtuse or rounded, spine-tipped; rays white, 15-25, 3-8 mm. long.	Heads few to many in an open inflorescence, with numerous spreading, obtuse bracts 2-4 times as long as wide below the heads; involucre 4-6 mm. high, the bracts imbricate, papery below and green above, the outer rounded, the inner pointed; disk flowers numerous, yellow; ray flowers 15-35, pistillate, white, 5-13 mm. long; pappus of numerous capillary bristles.
Fruits	Achene	Fruit an achene.

	Symphyotrichum ericoides	Symphyotrichum hallii
Flowering time	July-September	July-October
Habitat	Open, wet or dry places in the valleys and plains; tolerant of alkali.	Dry, open places in the valleys and plains.
Distribution	Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest in Washington; southern British Columbia to Oregon, east to the Rocky Mountains, and further east across Canada and most of North America to the Atlantic Coast. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	Occurring west of the Cascades crest in Washington; Washington to Oregon. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Native	Native
Conservation status	Not of concern	Threatened in Washington (WANHP)
Sibling taxa	S. ×amethystinum, S. ascendens, S. boreale, S. bracteolatum, S. campestre, S. chilense, S. ciliatum, S. ×columbianum, S. foliaceum, S. frondosum, S. hallii, S. jessicae, S. laeve, S. lanceolatum, S. novae-angliae, S. pilosum, S. spathulatum, S. subspicatum	S. ×amethystinum, S. ascendens, S. boreale, S. bracteolatum, S. campestre, S. chilense, S. ciliatum, S. ×columbianum, S. ericoides, S. foliaceum, S. frondosum, S. jessicae, S. laeve, S. lanceolatum, S. novae-angliae, S. pilosum, S. spathulatum, S. subspicatum
Subordinate taxa	S. ericoides var. pansum
Web links	Local floras: BC, OR, WA Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: OR, WA Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Symphyotrichum hallii

heath-leaved aster, tufted white prairie aster

Hall's aster

Habit

Fibrous-rooted perennial from a crown or rhizomes, the stems clustered, 3-20 dm. tall; herbage rough with usually spreading hairs.

Fibrous-rooted perennial from a rhizome or branched base, the stems 2-10 dm. tall, pubescent at least above.

Leaves

Leaves opposite, numerous, firm, linear, often spine-tipped, up to 7 cm. long and 5 mm. wide.

Lower leaves linear, petiolate, entire, pubescent, early-deciduous; middle and upper leaves linear, sessile, entire, usually pubescent, 2-10 cm. long.

Flowers

Heads numerous, small, the disk only 4-8 mm. wide, somewhat one-sided on the ascending branches;

involucre 4-6 mm. high, its bracts imbricate, the outer with green tips, obtuse or rounded, spine-tipped;

rays white, 15-25, 3-8 mm. long.

Heads few to many in an open inflorescence, with numerous spreading, obtuse bracts 2-4 times as long as wide below the heads;

involucre 4-6 mm. high, the bracts imbricate, papery below and green above, the outer rounded, the inner pointed;

disk flowers numerous, yellow;

ray flowers 15-35, pistillate, white, 5-13 mm. long;

pappus of numerous capillary bristles.

Fruits

Achene

Fruit an achene.

Symphyotrichum hallii

Flowering time

July-September

July-October

Habitat

Open, wet or dry places in the valleys and plains; tolerant of alkali.

Dry, open places in the valleys and plains.

Distribution

Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest in Washington; southern British Columbia to Oregon, east to the Rocky Mountains, and further east across Canada and most of North America to the Atlantic Coast.

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]