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slender aster

mountain aster, mountain wood aster

Habit Plants 15–50(–70) cm, in clumps, eglandular; caudices thickened, woody, ovoid to spheric. Plants 25–80 cm; forming ± dense clones (lacking sterile rosettes); rhizomes elongate, thin, woody with age.
Stems

1–8+, erect, simple, strict, glabrescent, usually ± densely villous distally.

1, erect, simple, flexuous, proximally glabrous or villous, more densely villous distally.

Leaves

basal and cauline, thick, firm (only midnerves conspicuous), margins entire or nearly so, indurate, scabrous, apices indurate, mucronate, faces scabrous (especially distal) to sometimes glabrous, adaxial sometimes villous (especially proximal) at least along midnerves;

basal often withering by flowering (bases sometimes marcescent), petioles erect, longer than blades, bases sheathing, winged, ciliate, blades narrowly elliptic to ovate or obovate, 20–70 × 8–20 mm, bases cuneate, margins sometimes crenulate-serrulate, teeth mucronate, apices obtuse to rounded;

cauline usually sessile, sometimes subsessile (ascending), lanceolate to oblanceolate, 15–80(–90) × 2.5–12 mm, bases sheathing to auriculate-clasping (distal), apices acute.

basal and cauline, thin, margins ± sharply serrate, teeth (6–20 per side) mucronulate, strigoso-ciliate, apices acuminate, abaxial faces glabrous or sparsely villous, adaxial sparsely strigose, long-stipitate-glandular (black) along veins;

basal and proximal cauline withering by flowering, long-petiolate, blades widely ovate, basal smaller than proximal, bases cordate to subcordate (sinuses narrow);

cauline long (10–50 mm) petiolate, wingless or increasingly winged distally, blades ovate, 30–110 × 11–64 mm, bases cordate (proximal) to rounded or rounded-cuneate (distal);

distal (arrays) sessile or short (0–11 mm), widely-winged petiolate, blades ovate, 8–38 × 5–23 mm.

Peduncles

slender, villous;

bracts 1–2, often 1 near heads, leaflike (bases sometimes indurate and white as in phyllaries).

(subtended by ± reduced distal leaves, longest more than 1.5 cm) villous, eglandular;

bracts 0(–1), abruptly smaller than leaves, 2–2.5 × 1–1.5 mm, sometimes subtending heads.

Involucres

cylindro-campanulate, 6.5–9 mm, slightly shorter than pappi.

campanulate, 6.5–9(–10) mm, shorter than pappi.

Ray florets

(5–)8–14;

corollas blue-violet to rose-purple or bluish, often pale, 5–8(–10) × 1–1.8 mm.

(8–)12–16(–20);

corollas usually white, sometimes lilac-tinged, (10–)17–18(–20) × 2.6–3.3 mm.

Disc florets

10–20;

corollas pale yellow, 5.5–6.2 mm, not ampliate, tubes longer than narrowly funnelform throats, lobes triangular, 0.65–0.9 mm.

(12–)17–26;

corollas yellow, 5.6–6.1 mm, abruptly ampliate, tubes (3–3.6 mm) longer than campanulate throats (0.7–1.1 mm), lobes reflexed, lanceolate, 1.5–2 mm.

Phyllaries

24–35 in 4–5 series, oblong (outer) to lanceolate (inner), unequal, coriaceous (outer) to membranous (inner), bases indurate, rounded (outer), margins hyaline, narrowly scarious, ± erose, ciliate (outer), apices reflexed, green (except innermost), purple-margined, less scarious, rounded or obtuse (outer) to acuminate (inner), mucronate, abaxial faces glabrous or obscurely puberulent, eglandular.

ca. 27 in 4–5 series, ovate or oblong (outer) to oblong-lanceolate or lanceolate (inner), strongly unequal, membranous, bases indurate, pale green zones on less than distal 1/4 (outer, a few sometimes more than 1/2) to 1/6 or none (inner), margins not scarious, entire or slightly erose, often purplish distally (inner), densely villoso-ciliate, apices obtuse to acute, abaxial faces glabrous or sparsely villous, eglandular.

Heads

3–55+ in flat-topped, corymbiform arrays, branches ascending, slender.

3–25+ in open, corymbiform arrays.

Cypselae

stramineous, cylindro-obconic, 1.75–2.6 mm, ribs 9–12 (crowded), faces glabrate to strigillose;

pappi of tawny to cinnamon bristles 5.9–6.2 mm, equaling disc corollas.

tan to brown, fusiform to cylindro-obovoid, slightly compressed, 3.3–3.5 mm, ribs 7–10, stramineous, faces glabrate to sparsely strigillose;

pappi of pale cinnamon (fine, barbellulate) bristles 6.2–6.3 mm, equaling to longer than disc florets.

2n

= 18.

= 36, 45.

Eurybia compacta

Eurybia chlorolepis

Phenology Flowering midsummer–early fall. Flowering late summer–fall.
Habitat Dry, sandy places, dry to moist pinelands, oak-thickets, bogs, barrens High elevation Appalachian red spruce–Fraser fir and cool mixed forests
Elevation 0–200 m (0–700 ft) 1200–2000 m (3900–6600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
DE; GA; MD; NC; NJ; SC; VA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
GA; NC; SC; TN; VA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Eurybia compacta may be extirpated from much of its original range (Georgia, Maryland, South Carolina, Virginia) and may now be of conservation concern. It is present on the Atlantic coastal plains and outer Piedmont. A. Cronquist (1980) stated that it approaches E. surculosa on one hand, and E. avita and E. paludosa on the other. This reflects the close affinity between sections Calliastrum and Heleastrum (see above). I have seen no voucher for the Alabama report.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Eurybia chlorolepis is known only from the Blue Ridge physiographic province. It is possibly extirpated at the southern end of its range in Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee, and it is vulnerable elsewhere. It was mapped by W. F. Lamboy (1992), who showed its distinctness from E. divaricata using morphometric and cytologic data.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 377. FNA vol. 20, p. 374.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Eurybia Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Eurybia
Sibling taxa
E. avita, E. chlorolepis, E. conspicua, E. divaricata, E. eryngiifolia, E. furcata, E. hemispherica, E. integrifolia, E. jonesiae, E. macrophylla, E. merita, E. mirabilis, E. paludosa, E. radula, E. radulina, E. saxicastelli, E. schreberi, E. sibirica, E. spectabilis, E. spinulosa, E. surculosa, E. ×herveyi
E. avita, E. compacta, E. conspicua, E. divaricata, E. eryngiifolia, E. furcata, E. hemispherica, E. integrifolia, E. jonesiae, E. macrophylla, E. merita, E. mirabilis, E. paludosa, E. radula, E. radulina, E. saxicastelli, E. schreberi, E. sibirica, E. spectabilis, E. spinulosa, E. surculosa, E. ×herveyi
Synonyms Aster gracilis, Aster surculosus var. gracilis Aster chlorolepis, Aster divaricatus var. chlorolepis
Name authority G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 259. (1995) (E. S. Burgess) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 259. (1995)
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