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manyray aster

Porter's or smooth white aster, smooth white aster

Habit Perennials, 20–100(–120) cm, cespitose; usually with short, stout, branched caudices, woody with age, sometimes long-rhizomatous. Perennials, 10–50 cm, cespitose; usually with branched caudices, sometimes long-rhizomatous.
Stems

1–5+, erect or ascending (straight, often stout), proximally usually ± densely hirtellous, sometimes glabrescent, distally hirsute.

1–4+, ascending to erect (straight), glabrous.

Leaves

thick, firm, margins (slightly undulate) scabrous, adaxial faces glabrous or strigose, scabrous, adaxial ± sparsely hirsute to scabro-hirtellous, sometimes ± scabrous (cauline sometimes with tufts of smaller leaves in axils);

basal withering by flowering, petiolate (petioles sometimes narrowly winged), blades oblong-ovate to lanceolate, 10–40 × 10–20 mm, bases deeply cordate, margins sparsely serrate to serrulate, apices usually acute, sometimes obtuse to rounded;

proximal cauline usually withering by flowering, petiolate (petioles slender to ± winged), blades ovate to broadly lanceolate, 40–90 × (15–) 25–50 mm, bases shallowly cordate or rounded to attenuate, rarely truncate, margins subentire or entire (rarely serrulate), apices acute or acuminate, with short callus point;

distal subpetiolate or sessile, blades ovate to lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, 10–70 × 1–10 mm, gradually or abruptly reduced distally, bases attenuate to cuneate, margins entire, apices acute to acuminate.

thin, margins usually entire, sometimes very sparsely serrulate distally, scabrous, apices acute, mucronulate, faces glabrous;

basal usually deciduous at flowering (new winter rosettes developed by flowering), petiolate (petioles narrow or ± winged, then appearing sessile, slightly sheathing, ciliate), blades oblanceolate to obovate or spatulate, 5–45+ × 2–6 mm, cuneate, apices obtuse;

proximal cauline usually withering by flowering, petiolate or sessile (petioles winged, slightly clasping, ciliate), blades oblanceolate or lanceolate to linear-oblanceolate or -lanceolate, 40–80(–90) × 2–5(–6) mm, bases cuneate;

distal sessile, blades linear-lanceolate to linear, ± falcate, 8–60 × 0.5–3 mm, reduced distally, bases cuneate to rounded-cuneate.

Peduncles

densely bracteate, 0.3–5(–10) cm (rarely subsesssile), bracts numerous, linear, 2–6 mm, mucronulate, grading into phyllaries.

0.2–2.8 cm, bracteate, glabrous, bracts 1–3, linear to linear-lanceolate.

Involucres

campanulate, 5–10 mm.

campanulate to cylindro-campanulate, 3.6–5(–6) mm.

Ray florets

18–45;

corollas usually bright lavender-blue to purple, seldom white, laminae 9–15(–18) × 1–3.2 mm.

(12–)20–34(–42);

corollas usually white, seldom pinkish, laminae 6.8–12 × 0.7–1.8 mm.

Disc florets

33–40+;

corollas cream or light yellow turning pinkish purple, (4–)4.5–5.5 mm, tubes shorter than funnelform throats, lobes sometimes ± spreading, triangular to lanceolate, 0.5–0.8 mm.

(30–)40–75(–103);

corollas pale yellow becoming pink and later brown, (2.8–)3.1–3.9(–4.9) mm, tubes much shorter than narrowly funnelform throats, lobes triangular, (0.3–)0.5–0.7(–0.8) mm.

Phyllaries

in 4–6 series, oblong-lanceolate (outer) to oblanceolate-linear (innermost), unequal, bases indurate (appressed), margins ciliate to scabro-ciliate, green zones diamond-shaped to lanceolate, ± foliaceous distally, apices reflexed to squarrose, long-acuminate, apiculate, often purple, faces strigoso-hirtellous.

in 4–6 series, linear-lanceolate to -oblanceolate (outer) or oblong-lanceolate (inner), unequal, bases indurate 1/4–3/4 (sometimes outermost foliaceous), margins proximally narrowly scarious, erose, hyaline, distally ciliolate, green zones lanceolate, apices acute, ± spreading, involute, mucronulate, faces glabrous.

Heads

in open, diffuse, paniculiform arrays, branches divaricate, stout, long, densely bracteate.

in paniculiform arrays, branches ascending, ± densely leafy with narrow branch leaves.

Cypselae

deep purple to purplish brown or brown with purple speckles (nerves stramineous), oblong-obovoid, compressed, (1–)2.5–3.5(–3.8) mm, 5–6-nerved, faces glabrous;

pappi tawny or rose-tinged, 3.7–5.2 mm.

purple to stramineous, obovoid to oblanceoloid, compressed, 1–2 mm, 4–5-nerved, faces sparsely, finely strigillose;

pappi white, 1.2–3.5 mm.

2n

= 16.

= 16.

Symphyotrichum anomalum

Symphyotrichum porteri

Phenology Flowering late Aug–Oct. Flowering late Jul–Sep.
Habitat Dry, sandy, loamy, or clayey soils over limestone, or acid soils over chert, sandstone, or granite, rocky, open deciduous woods, thickets, dry ridges, cliffs, bluffs, occasional along streams Lower montane
Elevation 50–500 m (200–1600 ft) 1800–2900 m (5900–9500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AR; IL; KS; MO; OK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO; NM; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

A. G. Jones (1989, 1992) reported that Symphyotrichum anomalum may hybridize with S. drummondii, S. oolentangiense, and S. shortii.

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

Symphyotrichum porteri is the only western member of subsect. Porteriana; it grows in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

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

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 504. FNA vol. 20, p. 513.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Symphyotrichum > subg. Symphyotrichum > sect. Symphyotrichum Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Symphyotrichum > subg. Symphyotrichum > sect. Symphyotrichum
Sibling taxa
S. adnatum, S. anticostense, S. ascendens, S. boreale, S. bracteolatum, S. campestre, S. chapmanii, S. chilense, S. ciliatum, S. ciliolatum, S. concolor, S. cordifolium, S. cusickii, S. defoliatum, S. depauperatum, S. drummondii, S. dumosum, S. elliottii, S. ericoides, S. eulae, S. falcatum, S. fendleri, S. firmum, S. foliaceum, S. fontinale, S. frondosum, S. georgianum, S. grandiflorum, S. greatae, S. hallii, S. hendersonii, S. jessicae, S. laeve, S. lanceolatum, S. lateriflorum, S. laurentianum, S. lentum, S. molle, S. nahanniense, S. novae-angliae, S. novi-belgii, S. oblongifolium, S. ontarionis, S. oolentangiense, S. parviceps, S. patens, S. phlogifolium, S. pilosum, S. plumosum, S. porteri, S. potosinum, S. praealtum, S. pratense, S. prenanthoides, S. priceae, S. puniceum, S. pygmaeum, S. racemosum, S. retroflexum, S. rhiannon, S. robynsianum, S. sericeum, S. shortii, S. simmondsii, S. spathulatum, S. subspicatum, S. subulatum, S. tenuifolium, S. tradescantii, S. turbinellum, S. undulatum, S. urophyllum, S. walteri, S. welshii, S. yukonense, S. ×amethystinum
S. adnatum, S. anomalum, S. anticostense, S. ascendens, S. boreale, S. bracteolatum, S. campestre, S. chapmanii, S. chilense, S. ciliatum, S. ciliolatum, S. concolor, S. cordifolium, S. cusickii, S. defoliatum, S. depauperatum, S. drummondii, S. dumosum, S. elliottii, S. ericoides, S. eulae, S. falcatum, S. fendleri, S. firmum, S. foliaceum, S. fontinale, S. frondosum, S. georgianum, S. grandiflorum, S. greatae, S. hallii, S. hendersonii, S. jessicae, S. laeve, S. lanceolatum, S. lateriflorum, S. laurentianum, S. lentum, S. molle, S. nahanniense, S. novae-angliae, S. novi-belgii, S. oblongifolium, S. ontarionis, S. oolentangiense, S. parviceps, S. patens, S. phlogifolium, S. pilosum, S. plumosum, S. potosinum, S. praealtum, S. pratense, S. prenanthoides, S. priceae, S. puniceum, S. pygmaeum, S. racemosum, S. retroflexum, S. rhiannon, S. robynsianum, S. sericeum, S. shortii, S. simmondsii, S. spathulatum, S. subspicatum, S. subulatum, S. tenuifolium, S. tradescantii, S. turbinellum, S. undulatum, S. urophyllum, S. walteri, S. welshii, S. yukonense, S. ×amethystinum
Synonyms Aster anomalus Aster porteri, Aster ericoides var. strictus
Name authority (Engelmann ex Torrey & A. Gray) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 275. (1995) (A. Gray) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 289. (1995)
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