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

creeping aster

Habit Plants 15–110 cm; in extensive, dense clones (with abundant, sterile rosettes); rhizomes branched, herbaceous. Plants 10–90 cm; in clones and clumps (sometimes with rosettes), eglandular (except pedicels); rhizomes slender, herbaceous becoming woody, scaly.
Stems

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

1–3+, erect, simple, straight, proximally sparsely strigillose to glabrescent, distally strigose or villoso- or hirsuto-strigose.

Leaves

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.

basal and cauline, firm (only midnerves conspicuous), margins slightly revolute, slightly indurate, entire or sometimes remotely crenulate-serrulate, scabrous, teeth indurate, apices acute to obtuse, indurate, often mucronate, abaxial faces scabrous, adaxial sparsely strigose or glabrous;

basal and proximal cauline usually persistent, sometimes withering by flowering (bases often marcescent), petioles sometimes narrowly winged, bases sheathing, blades narrowly elliptic, narrowly ovate, or lanceolate to spatulate, narrowly obovate, or oblanceolate, 13–135 × (2–)6–35 mm (earliest smaller), bases attenuate to cuneate;

mid short-winged-petiolate or sessile, blades lance-oblong, lance-elliptic, lanceolate, or oblanceolate, 22–105 × 3–14 mm, gradually reduced distally, bases slightly auriculate-clasping to cuneate or attenuate;

distal (arrays) sessile, blades lanceolate to linear, 7–42 × 1–6 mm, abruptly reduced.

Peduncles

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

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

densely strigose or strigoso-hispid, sometimes sparsely long-stipitate-glandular distally;

bracts (0–)1–3(–6), leaflike to phyllary-like (bases indurate), scabrous or sparsely strigose.

Involucres

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

cylindro-campanulate, 7–11(–13) mm, shorter than pappi.

Ray florets

9–20;

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

13–30;

corollas bluish violet, (8–)11.5–15.5 × 1.5–2.3 mm.

Disc florets

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.

25–40;

corollas pale yellow turning purplish, 5–7.2 mm, slightly ampliate, tubes shorter than funnelform throats, lobes erect, deltate to triangular, 0.75–1.1 mm.

Phyllaries

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.

35–65 in 4–5 series, oblong (outer) to linear-oblong or seldom linear (inner), strongly unequal, membranous, bases indurate, rounded (outer), dark green zones foliaceous, sometimes slightly dilated, in distal 1/3–1/2 (outer) to 1/8–1/7 or none and not reaching margins (inner), margins hyaline or sometimes purplish, narrowly scarious, erose, ciliate (scarious parts), ± scabrous (foliaceous parts), sometimes short-stipitate-glandular (innermost), apices spreading to squarrose, obtuse, often dilated (innermost), mucronulate (outer) or apiculate (inner), abaxial faces glabrous or strigillose, both scabrellous on foliaceous parts.

Heads

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

(1–)3–50(–122+), usually in open or dense, corymbiform arrays, seldom borne singly.

Cypselae

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.

brown, cylindro-obconic, slightly compressed, 3.2–3.5 mm, ribs 8–10, stramineous, strigillose;

pappi of tawny-yellowish to pinkish bristles 5.2–7.1 mm, ± equaling disc corollas.

2n

= 72.

= 36.

Eurybia macrophylla

Eurybia surculosa

Phenology Flowering late summer–early fall (late Aug–Oct). Flowering summer–fall.
Habitat 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 Dry to wet, especially sandy soils, open, pinelands, oak-scrub, clearings, bogs, roadsides
Elevation 0–1300 m (0–4300 ft) 200–1500 m (700–4900 ft)
Distribution
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]
from FNA
AL; CT; DE; GA; KY; MA; MD; NC; OH; SC; TN; VA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

Eurybia surculosa is of conservation concern in Virginia and Alabama. It is often confused with E. compacta, its close relative from the coastal plains. In states where both are present, it is found only inland in the southern Appalachian Mountains and not on the coastal plains; its larger heads help to differentiate it from E. compacta.

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

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 375. FNA vol. 20, p. 377.
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. 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
E. avita, E. chlorolepis, 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. ×herveyi
Synonyms 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 Aster surculosus
Name authority (Linnaeus) Cassini: in F. Cuvier, Dict. Sci. Nat. ed. 2, 37: 487. (1825) (Michaux) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 262. (1995)
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