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eastern showy aster, purple wood-aster, western showy aster

aster, Hervey's aster

Habit Plants 10–90 cm; forming clones and clumps with rosettes, new shoots at end of rhizomes and bases of old stems; rhizomes elongate, scaly, herbaceous becoming woody. Plants 25–70+ cm; in clones and clumps (with sterile rosettes), stipitate-glandular distally; rhizomes branched, herbaceous becoming woody.
Stems

1–3, erect or sometimes ascending, straight, often stout, sometimes glabrous or glabrescent, usually ± sparsely villous proximally and/or distally, proximally eglandular to ± short-stipitate-glandular, distally glandular from 1/2–2/3, short- and long-stipitate-glandular in arrays.

1–3+, erect, straight, proximally glabrous, distally sometimes sparsely strigose, stipitate-glandular.

Leaves

basal and cauline, firm (reticulately veined), margins slightly revolute, indurate, entire or remotely crenulate-serrulate, scabrous, teeth indurate, apices acute (seldom basal obtuse), indurate, faces usually scabrous (especially abaxially), sometimes glabrous;

basal and proximal cauline persistent, petioles (10–90 mm) ± narrowly winged (wings wider and shorter distally), bases sometimes marcescent, blades lanceolate or elliptic to ovate- or obovate-elliptic or spatulate, 10–160 × 3–40 mm (earlier leaves smallest), bases attenuate;

mid widely winged-petiolate to subpetiolate or sessile, blades elliptic-lanceolate, ovate, or ± narrowly obovate to spatulate, oblanceolate, or lanceolate, 13–105 × (2–)5–30 mm, ± gradually reduced distally, bases attenuate or cuneate, sometimes ± clasping or sheathing (proximal);

distal (arrays) sessile, oblong or narrowly ovate to linear-lanceolate or linear, 6–40 × 1–11 mm, usually abruptly reduced, becoming ± glandular.

basal and cauline, firm, margins slightly revolute, crenate-serrate, scabrous, apices acuminate and mucronate, abaxial faces usually glabrescent to ± scabrous, sometimes ± sparsely strigose, gland-dotted or stipitate-glandular, adaxial sparsely puberulent, stipitate-glandular (increasingly so distally);

basal withering by flowering, long-petiolate, petioles slightly winged, bases dilated and sheathing, sparsely ciliate, ± glandular, blades ovate to elliptic-ovate, 70–120 × 40–65 mm, bases rounded to sometimes slightly oblique;

proximal cauline long-petiolate, petioles shorter and gradually more broadly winged distally, blades ovate to elliptic-ovate, 55–100 × 24–65 mm, gradually reduced distally;

distal winged-petiolate to subpetiolate or sessile, blades ovate or elliptic to lanceolate or oblanceolate, 10–64 × 3–18 mm, gradually reduced distally, bases ± clasping, margins becoming entire (arrays).

Peduncles

sometimes sparsely villous, densely stipitate-glandular;

bracts (0–)1–3, leaflike or sometimes phyllary-like (bases rounded, membranous, indurate), sometimes immediately subtending heads, densely stipitate-glandular.

firm, straight, 0.4–3.5 cm, sparsely strigose, densely stipitate-glandular;

bracts 0–3, oblong-lanceolate, 3–5 mm, acute, densely stipitate-glandular.

Involucres

campanulate, 7.5–14(–16) mm, ± equaling pappi.

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

Ray florets

15–35;

corollas violet-purple, 12–25 × 1.6–4 mm.

10–11;

corollas ± purple, 13.1–13.5 × 1.6–2 mm.

Disc florets

25–55;

corollas yellow, 5.5–7.6 mm, ± ampliate, tubes shorter than funnelform throats, lobes erect, lanceolate, 0.7–1.2 mm.

25–40;

corollas cream or light yellow, becoming pinkish, 7.6–8.5 mm, slightly ampliate, tubes longer than narrowly funnelform-campanulate throats, lobes erect, lanceolate-acuminate, 0.9–1.4 mm.

Phyllaries

35–70 in 5–6 series, oblong-lanceolate to sometimes spatulate (outer) to linear-lanceolate or linear (inner), unequal, membranous or sometimes foliaceous (outer), bases indurate, rounded (outer), green zones expanded, ovate to obovate (outer, sometimes foliaceous to base) or diffusely lanceolate or none (inner), margins of membranous parts hyaline or ± purplish (inner), narrowly scarious, villoso-ciliate or long-stipitate-glandular, of foliaceous parts ± indurate, scabrous or short-stipitate-glandular, apices squarrose (outer) to ± appressed (innermost), acute to obtuse, adaxial faces long-stipitate-glandular (foliaceous parts).

(18–)25–40 in (4–)5–6 series, appressed, lanceolate (outer) or lance-ovate to oblong or linear-oblong (inner; innermost longer than 7 mm), strongly unequal, bases indurate, rounded adaxially, dark-green zones obovate to lanceolate (inner), ca. 1/3 distal portion, margins hyaline or often purplish (inner), scarious, erose, ± ciliate, apices (at least some) reflexed, ± squarrose, or twisted, rounded to obtuse (outer) or acute (inner), abaxial faces stipitate-glandular.

Heads

(1–)3–35+ usually in open, corymbiform arrays, seldom borne singly, branches ascending, stout.

(3–)8–19+ in open, corymbiform arrays.

Cypselae

brown, fusiform, slightly compressed, 3–4.2 mm, ribs 12–14, faces densely strigillose;

pappi of reddish-tawnish bristles 5.3–7.6 mm, ± equaling disc corollas.

dark reddish brown, cylindro-fusiform, compressed, ca. 3 mm (sterile or undeveloped), ribs [not seen], faces strigillose;

pappi of tawny, (sometimes apically ± clavate) bristles 7.6–8+ mm, equaling disc corollas.

2n

= 72.

= 72.

Eurybia spectabilis

Eurybia ×herveyi

Phenology Flowering fall. Flowering fall.
Habitat Mostly sandy soils, sometimes dry clay, granite outcrops, dry, oak-pine woods, pine barrens, peat bogs, borders of woods, clearings, fields, roadsides Open woods, clearings, often sandy or acidic substrates
Elevation 0–900 m (0–3000 ft) 0–100 m (0–300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; CT; DE; GA; MA; MD; NC; NJ; NY; PA; RI; SC; VA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CT; MA; NJ; NY; RI
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Eurybia spectabilis is of conservation concern in much of its range, notably in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. It is an eastern coastal plains species that reaches its southern limit in Alabama and Georgia.

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

Eurybia ×herveyi is the F1 hybrid between E. macrophylla and E. spectabilis. L. J. Uttal (1962) proved its origin with artificial crosses, and pointed out that the two parents co-occur in some populations where their ranges overlap.

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

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 378. FNA vol. 20, p. 376.
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. paludosa, E. radula, E. radulina, E. saxicastelli, E. schreberi, E. sibirica, 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. surculosa
Synonyms Aster spectabilis, Aster commixtus, Aster spectabilis var. suffultus, Biotia commixta, E. commixta Aster herveyi
Name authority (Aiton) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 262. (1995) (A. Gray) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 262. (1995)
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