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thick-stem aster

aster à grandes feuilles, bigleaf aster, large-leaf wood-aster

Habit Plants 15–70 cm, usually in clumps, sometimes in large clones, densely long-stipitate-glandular distally; woody, branched, thick, usually short rhizomes or short caudices. Plants 15–110 cm; in extensive, dense clones (with abundant, sterile rosettes); rhizomes branched, herbaceous.
Stems

1–3+, straight, stout, glabrous or sparsely hispid proximally, distally ± hispido-villous.

1, erect, simple, straight to ± flexuous, glabrous or sparsely villous, stipitate-glandular, more densely so distally (at least in arrays).

Leaves

basal and cauline, firm, margins entire, strigoso-ciliate, distal also stipitate-glandular, apices mucronate, faces glabrous or glabrescent to ± densely hispid or strigose (then ± scabrous), particularly on veins, midveins sometimes notably hispido-villous, proximally ± sparsely, distally ± densely stipitate-glandular;

basal and proximal cauline long-petiolate (to 100+ mm), petioles ± broadly winged, bases sheathing or auriculate-clasping, blades ovate-lanceolate to narrowly elliptic or oblanceolate, 33–180+ × 11–50 mm, bases attenuate, apices acute or obtuse to rounded;

mid sessile, blades oblong or oblanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, lanceolate, or lance-ovate, 30–140 × 7–27 mm, gradually reduced distally, bases auriculate-clasping, apices usually acute, rarely obtuse;

distal (arrays) narrowly ovate to lanceolate, 9–50 × 3–20 mm.

basal and cauline, thick, firm, margins coarsely serrate (proximal) to crenate-serrate or entire (distal), scabrous, teeth mucronate, apices acuminate, sharply mucronate, abaxial faces glabrescent to sparsely strigose, veins stipitate-glandular, adaxial sparsely strigose, ± densely villous on veins, short-stipitate-glandular (more so on distal);

basal withering by flowering, petioles (25–)80–170 mm, ± winged, bases sheathing, ciliate, blades broadly ovate, (45–)110–250 × (25–)55–150 mm, bases deeply cordate (sinuses curved), sometimes slightly oblique;

cauline petiolate (3–110 mm), gradually more broadly winged and sometimes ± auriculate distally, ± clasping, ciliate, to subpetiolate or sessile, blades broadly ovate to ovate, 22–104 × 9–80 mm, gradually reduced distally, bases cordate to rounded or attenuate to cuneate;

distal (arrays) sessile, blades ovate or broadly lanceolate or elliptic to obovate or oblanceolate, 9–38 × 3–13 mm, abruptly reduced distally, bases ± clasping to rounded or cuneate (arrays), margins crenate-serrate or entire.

Peduncles

± densely long-stipitate-glandular;

bracts 0(–2), densely stipitate-glandular.

firm, 0–4 cm, densely stipitate-glandular;

bracts 0–2, ovate-lanceolate, ± stipitate-glandular.

Involucres

campanulate, 8–14 mm, much shorter than pappi.

broadly campanulate to campanulate, (6–)7–11 mm, shorter than pappi.

Ray florets

8–27;

corollas violet-purple, 10–15 × 1.2–2.2 mm.

9–20;

corollas ± deep lavender or violet to occasionally white, (7–)11–15 × 1.4–2.4 mm.

Disc florets

20–50;

corollas pale yellow turning pinkish or purplish, 6–7.8 mm, slightly ampliate, tubes much shorter than cylindric to narrowly funnelform throats, lobes erect, lanceolate, 0.6–0.8 mm.

20–40;

corollas cream-color or light yellow, becoming purple, 6–7.5 mm, slightly ampliate, tubes (ca. 4 mm) longer than funnelform throats (ca 1.2 mm), lobes reflexed, lanceolate, 1–1.6 mm.

Phyllaries

25–40 in 3–4 series, inner often purplish, oblong-lanceolate (outer) to linear-lanceolate (inner), ± unequal, membranous, bases pale, indurate, sometimes rounded (outer), distally foliaceous (3/4+ in outer, seldom to base, to 1/5 in inner) and wider than bases, margins narrowly scarious (non-foliaceous parts), purplish (at least inner), ciliate and/or stipitate-glandular (along foliaceous parts), apices squarrose, usually acute, sometimes acuminate, faces densely stipitate-glandular.

32–35 in 5–6 series, appressed, often purple-tinged, usually obovate to oblong, seldom ovate (outer) to oblanceolate or linear-lanceolate (inner) (innermost to 7 mm), strongly unequal, bases indurate, keeled or rounded adaxially, dark green zones wide, 1/3–1/2 distal portion (rarely to base in outer) to less pronounced along midveins or none (inner), margins hyaline or reddish, scarious, ± erose, densely villoso-ciliate apically, apices obtuse to rounded or acute (inner), adaxial faces ± villous, ± stipitate-glandular.

Heads

3–41+ in elongate, racemo-corymbiform arrays, branches ascending.

(2–)8–90+ in flat-topped, corymbiform arrays.

Cypselae

greenish stramineous, fusiform-obconic, slightly compressed, 4.2–4.7 mm, ribs 7–10, faces ± densely hirtellous;

pappi of stramineous to tawny bristles 7–8 mm, ± equaling disc corollas.

brown, fusiform or cylindro-obconic, compressed, 2.6–4.5 mm, ribs 7–12 (golden brown), faces glabrous or sparsely strigillose distally;

pappi of tawny to orangish (sometimes clavellate) bristles 5–7.5 mm, slightly longer than disc corollas.

2n

= 18.

= 72.

Eurybia integrifolia

Eurybia macrophylla

Phenology Flowering summer–early fall. Flowering late summer–early fall (late Aug–Oct).
Habitat Drier meadows, open, moist woodlands, in sedge-willow, sagebrush, Douglas fir, and spruce communities Moist to dry soils, hemlock-northern hardwoods, beech-maple or pine forests, Appalachian spruce-fir forests, aspen, pine or open spruce woodlands, thickets, clearings, shaded roadsides
Elevation 1600–3200 m (5200–10500 ft) 0–1300 m (0–4300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CT; DC; DE; GA; IA; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; MB; NB; NS; ON; PE; QC [Introduced in n Europe]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Eurybia integrifolia is found in mountain ranges bordering the Basin and Range Province, from the Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges in the west to the Rocky Mountains and Colorado Plateau in the east.

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

Eurybia macrophylla, a species of the northeastern deciduous or mixed forest, extends north into the southern boreal forest of Ontario-Quebec, and south along the Blue Ridges into northern Georgia. It becomes rare at the western edge of its range (Manitoba, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri). The plant has been reported from Mississippi but no voucher was seen.

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

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 368. FNA vol. 20, p. 375.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Eurybia Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Eurybia
Sibling taxa
E. avita, E. chlorolepis, E. compacta, E. conspicua, E. divaricata, E. eryngiifolia, E. furcata, E. hemispherica, 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. chlorolepis, E. compacta, E. conspicua, E. divaricata, E. eryngiifolia, E. furcata, E. hemispherica, E. integrifolia, E. jonesiae, 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 integrifolius, Aster amplexifolius Aster macrophyllus, Aster macrophyllus var. apricensis, Aster macrophyllus var. excelsior, Aster macrophyllus var. ianthinus, Aster macrophyllus var. pinguifolius, Aster macrophyllus var. sejunctus, Aster macrophyllus var. velutinus, Aster multiformis, Aster riciniatus, Biotia latifolia, Biotia macrophylla, E. jussiei
Name authority (Nuttall) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 260. (1995) (Linnaeus) Cassini: in F. Cuvier, Dict. Sci. Nat. ed. 2, 37: 487. (1825)
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