Burke: Symphyotrichum ericoides vs. Symphyotrichum subspicatum

	Symphyotrichum ericoides	Symphyotrichum subspicatum
	heath-leaved aster, tufted white prairie aster	Douglas' aster, Douglas'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 creeping rhizome, highly variable in size, the herbage pubescent.
Leaves	Leaves opposite, numerous, firm, linear, often spine-tipped, up to 7 cm. long and 5 mm. wide.	Leaves toothed, the lower oblanceolate, petiolate, often deciduous; other leaves lanceolate, sessile, 5-12 cm. long and 1-3 cm. wide, 4-8 times as long as wide.
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.	Inflorescence an open, leafy panicle; involucre bracts firm, thick, strongly imbricate, the tips often recurved, the base conspicuously yellowish or brownish, the margins papery; disk flowers numerous, yellow; rays blue to purple, 1-2 cm. long; pappus of numerous reddish capillary bristles.
Fruits	Achene	Achenes somewhat hairy.

	Symphyotrichum ericoides	Symphyotrichum subspicatum
Flowering time	July-September	July-September
Habitat	Open, wet or dry places in the valleys and plains; tolerant of alkali.	Moist woods, streambanks and seashores.
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 on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to Alberta, Montana and Idaho. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Native	Native
Conservation status	Not of concern	Not of concern
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. hallii, S. jessicae, S. laeve, S. lanceolatum, S. novae-angliae, S. pilosum, S. spathulatum
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: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, 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 subspicatum

heath-leaved aster, tufted white prairie aster

Douglas' aster, Douglas'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 creeping rhizome, highly variable in size, the herbage pubescent.

Leaves

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

Leaves toothed, the lower oblanceolate, petiolate, often deciduous; other leaves lanceolate, sessile, 5-12 cm. long and 1-3 cm. wide, 4-8 times as long as wide.

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.

Inflorescence an open, leafy panicle;

involucre bracts firm, thick, strongly imbricate, the tips often recurved, the base conspicuously yellowish or brownish, the margins papery;

disk flowers numerous, yellow;

rays blue to purple, 1-2 cm. long;

pappus of numerous reddish capillary bristles.

Fruits

Achene

Achenes somewhat hairy.

Symphyotrichum subspicatum

Flowering time

July-September

Habitat

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

Moist woods, streambanks and seashores.

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]