Eurybia sibirica
Eurybia macrophylla
arctic aster, Siberian aster, Siberian wood-aster
aster à grandes feuilles, bigleaf aster, large-leaf wood-aster
1–5+, usually ascending, sometimes decumbent, often purplish, sometimes branched basally, flexuous, proximally sparsely villous, distally usually densely villous, sometimes lanate.
1, erect, simple, straight to ± flexuous, glabrous or sparsely villous, stipitate-glandular, more densely so distally (at least in arrays).
cauline (dark green abaxially, paler grayish green adaxially), firm, ± markedly veined, margins coarsely and sometimes irregularly serrate, sometimes (distal) serrulate or entire, villoso-ciliate, teeth mucronate, slightly incurved, apices obtuse to acute, mucronate, abaxial faces glabrescent to scabridulous, sparsely villous along veins, adaxial sparsely to ± densely villous or villoso-strigose;
proximal winged-petiolate to sessile, petiole bases sheathing, blades spatulate, obovate to oblanceolate, or ovate (smaller than mid), 9–50 × 3–22 mm, bases attenuate to tapering and (in sessile) subclasping;
mid short-petiolate to subpetiolate or sessile, blades lanceolate to lance-ovate, oblong to oblanceolate, or obovate to spatulate, 25–95 × 6–35 mm, gradually reduced distally, bases rounded or subauriculate to widely attenuate or cuneate;
distal (arrays) sessile, lanceolate, lance-ovate, or elliptic to oblanceolate, 8–60 × 1–12 mm, rapidly reduced distally.
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.
villous;
bracts 0–3, sometimes immediately subtending heads, lanceolate or spatulate to linear-lanceolate, leaflike or phyllary-like distally (bases indurate, margins purplish), mostly foliaceous, villous.
firm, 0–4 cm, densely stipitate-glandular;
bracts 0–2, ovate-lanceolate, ± stipitate-glandular.
campanulate, 6–9 mm, shorter than pappi.
broadly campanulate to campanulate, (6–)7–11 mm, shorter than pappi.
12–50;
corollas white to pale violet or purple, 7–17.5 × 0.8–1.8 mm.
9–20;
corollas ± deep lavender or violet to occasionally white, (7–)11–15 × 1.4–2.4 mm.
25–125;
corollas yellow becoming purplish, 5–8.1 mm, slightly ampliate, tubes longer than funnelform throats, lobes erect, triangular, 0.5–1.1 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.
30–80 in 3–4(–5) series, sometimes wholly purplish, usually ± oblong-lanceolate to oblanceolate, sometimes linear-lanceolate (innermost), subequal or ± unequal, membranous, bases indurate, ± rounded, dark green zones lanceolate or truncate at base, in distal 1/3–4/5+ (outer, often foliaceous, sometimes bractlike and surpassing involucres) to 1/4–2/3 (inner), margins hyaline, often purplish, narrowly scarious, erose, densely villoso-ciliate, apices squarrose, acute, apiculate, faces villous.
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.
1–50, borne singly or in open corymbiform arrays.
(2–)8–90+ in flat-topped, corymbiform arrays.
brown, fusiform, compressed, 2.5–3.7 mm, ribs 7–10 (stramineous), faces strigillose;
pappi of dark cinnamon or reddish tan (sometimes apically clavellate) bristles 5.5–7.5 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.
= 18.
= 72.
Eurybia sibirica
Eurybia macrophylla
Eurybia sibirica is known from the northern Rocky Mountains and the northern Pacific Coast northward, becoming frequent in Alaska, Yukon, and in the boreal forest region of the continental Northwest Territories; it crosses into Siberia to reach Scandinavia (R. Elven 1989). In British Columbia, northern individuals belong to E. sibirica, not E. pygmaea (contra G. W. Douglas et al. 1998–2002, vol. 1), and southern specimens sometimes are E. merita. G. L. Nesom (1994b) recognized three varieties, two of which have been reported from North America (var. sibirica and var. gigantea). At present, however, given the great phenotypic plasticity of this species, it appears preferable not to recognize varieties, pending studies on the validity of these entities. Eurybia sibirica has often been confused at its southern range limit with E. merita, from which it differs by its often more low-cespitose habit (versus more erect habit, but smaller individuals may be similar in this respect), usually more serrate leaves (versus subserrate to nearly entire), and subequal, foliaceous, purplish phyllaries (versus unequal, non-foliaceous, purple-margined). At the southern end of its range, near the Canada–United States border, E. sibirica is usually found at higher elevations than its congener, there at its northern limit. Aster sibiricus forma albinus Lepage is merely a color variant of the species and is not recognized here.
(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.)
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