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southern swamp aster

bouquet aster

Habit Plants 20–80 cm; in clumps and clones, eglandular; rhizomes creeping, herbaceous and thin, becoming thick and woody, scaly. Plants 30–120 cm; not strongly colonial or in clumps, not or barely stipitate-glandular; rhizomes coarse, short, woody.
Stems

1–10+, erect, often reddish, simple, straight (brittle), proximally glabrous, glabrescent, or sparsely strigillose, distally strigillose or ± villoso-hirsute (at least in arrays).

1–3+, erect, slightly flexuous, simple, sparsely strigose proximally or glabrescent, densely strigose distally.

Leaves

basal and cauline, firm, only midnerves evident, margins indurate, entire or sometimes remotely spinulose-serrate, scabrous, spines indurate, ± pronounced, apices mucronate or indurate, abaxial faces glabrous or scabrous, adaxial sparsely hirtellous, distal often more hairy;

basal and proximalmost cauline withering by flowering, petioles (often marcescent, to 20 mm), bases sheathing, blades elliptic to lanceolate (basal) or linear-lanceolate, ± arcuate (proximal), 15–103 × 5–9 mm, bases cuneate, apices obtuse (basal) to acute;

cauline progressively sessile (petioles more winged) and reduced, blades lanceolate or linear-lanceolate to linear, ± arcuate, 18–132+ × 2–6 mm, margins sometimes revolute, apices acute.

basal and cauline, margins crenate-serrate, teeth mucronate, margins scabrous to strigoso-ciliate, apices acute to obtuse, ± acuminate, mucronate, abaxial faces scabrous (short strigose), adaxial ± densely strigose;

basal and proximal cauline long-petiolate, petioles not to narrowly winged, sheathing, blades ovate, 50–200 × 30–120 mm, bases shallowly cordate to rounded;

cauline shortly, broadly winged-petiolate to subpetiolate or sessile, ovate or elliptic to lanceolate or oblanceolate, 13–122 × 6–55 mm, gradually reduced distally, bases auriculate, not clasping, or cuneate to winged-attenuate;

distal (arrays) sessile, obovate or oblong to lanceolate, 10–32 × 4–10 mm, bases rounded to attenuate, apices obtuse to rounded or acute.

Peduncles

ascending, usually mostly 1–10+ cm (seldom not elongating, sometimes those of young heads appearing short or absent), thin, hirtello-puberulent to villoso-hirsute;

bracts 2–5, often 1–2 subtending heads, sometimes phyllary-like (bases pale, indurate).

densely strigose, sometimes sparsely stipitate-glandular distally;

bracts 0–2, broad, densely strigose.

Involucres

campanulate, 9–11 mm, much shorter than pappi.

campanulate, 7–12 mm, shorter than pappi.

Ray florets

15–35;

corollas deep lavender to purple, (10–)15–20 × 1–2.3 mm.

(7–)16–20(–30);

corollas white to lavender, 10–15 × 1.4–2.1 mm.

Disc florets

25–60;

corollas yellow, 5.5–7 mm, slightly ampliate, tubes much shorter than cylindro-funnelform throats, lobes spreading, lanceolate-acuminate, 0.75–1.1 mm.

20–40;

corollas pale yellow, becoming purplish-tinged on lobes, funnelform, slightly ampliate, 6–7.5 mm, tubes longer than throats, lobes spreading, lanceolate, 1–1.5 mm.

Phyllaries

40–65+ in 4–5 series, lanceolate or oblong (outer) to linear-oblanceolate or linear (inner), unequal, membranous, bases indurate, rounded (particularly outer), green zones well defined, slightly expanded in distal 1/3–2/3 (foliaceous), reaching margins (outer wholly foliaceous, outermost are bracts subtending heads) to 1/6 or less and not reaching margins or none (inner), margins sometimes distally purplish (particularly inner), indurate, narrowly scarious, erose proximally to nearly completely so (inner), densely ciliate proximally (scarious part) to distally scabrous (foliaceous part), apices loose and often spreading, sometimes squarrose, obtuse to sometimes acute, mucronate, faces sparsely to densely strigillose.

46–75(–90) in 5–7 series, oblong-lanceolate (outer) to linear-lanceolate (inner), strongly unequal, membranous, bases indurate, rounded (outer), green zones in distal 1/3–1/2 foliaceous (outer) or 0 (innermost), margins hyaline, narrowly scarious, erose, ciliate, apices ± squarrose or reflexed, obtuse to acute and mucronulate (outer) or acuminate (inner), faces strigoso-villous to strigillose, eglandular.

Heads

(1–)4–10+ in open, corymbiform arrays, seldom borne singly, with ascending branches.

3–10+ in loose, flat-topped, corymbiform arrays.

Cypselae

stramineous to tawny, cylindric to narrowly obovoid, slightly compressed, 2.3–3.6 mm, ribs 10–16, sparsely strigillose;

pappi of stramineous (firm, sometimes apically clavellate) bristles 5–6.7 mm, ± equaling disc corollas.

reddish brown to brown, fusiform, compressed, 3–4 mm, ribs 7–12, faces sparsely strigillose;

pappi of cinnamon (apically clavate) bristles, equaling disc corollas.

2n

= 36.

= 18.

Eurybia paludosa

Eurybia mirabilis

Phenology Flowering late summer–fall. Flowering late summer–early fall.
Habitat Moist savannas, margins of pools and swamps, low pinelands, seldom on sand hills of coastal plains, open hammocks Deciduous or mixed deciduous woods, on slopes or alluvial plains, usually on basic or circumneutral soils, Piedmont Plateau
Elevation 0–100 m (0–300 ft) 100–300 m (300–1000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
FL; GA; NC; SC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
NC; SC
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Eurybia paludosa is often confused with E. hemispherica, with which it is closely related. It is present on the Atlantic coastal plain from North Carolina to northeastern Florida. The two species are disjunct geographically and ecologically, even when they occur in the same states. In North Carolina, for instance, E. paludosa is coastal while E. hemispherica is found in the mountains. In northern Florida, the former is found only in Nassau County, while the latter is present only in the western panhandle. Their ranges do not overlap.

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

Of conservation concern.

Eurybia mirabilis is infrequent throughout its range. It has been reported for Alabama and Georgia but no specimens were seen. Such reports may be based on specimens of E. jonesiae identified as Aster commixtus. Both species have been so identified.

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

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 380. FNA vol. 20, p. 373.
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. macrophylla, E. merita, E. mirabilis, 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. paludosa, E. radula, E. radulina, E. saxicastelli, E. schreberi, E. sibirica, E. spectabilis, E. spinulosa, E. surculosa, E. ×herveyi
Synonyms Aster paludosus, Heleastrum paludosum Aster mirabilis
Name authority (Aiton) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 261. (1995) (Torrey & A. Gray) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 261. (1995)
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