Symphyotrichum anticostense |
Symphyotrichum firmum |
|
---|---|---|
Anticosti American-aster, Anticosti aster, Anticosti Island aster, aster d'Anticosti |
glossy-leaf aster, shiny-leaf aster |
|
Habit | Perennials, 10–90 cm, colonial; long-rhizomatous. | Perennials, 40–250 cm, colonial; long-rhizomatous. |
Stems | 1, erect (straight, often reddish), glabrous. |
1, erect (straight, ± thin, 2–8 mm diam at base, ± ribbed, red above each node), glabrous or glabrate (very sparsely hispidulous) proximally to ± hispidulous distally. |
Leaves | coriaceous, margins remotely serrulate or entire, slightly revolute, scabrous, apices mucronulate, faces glabrous; basal withering by flowering, long-petiolate (petioles narrowly winged, bases sheathing), blades lanceolate to oblanceolate, ca. 55+ × 3+ mm, bases slightly attenuate, apices acute; proximal cauline mostly withering by flowering, petiolate (petioles narrowly winged, sheathing), blades lanceolate or oblanceolate to linear-lanceolate or -oblanceolate, arcuate, 90–160 × 5–18 mm, bases cuneate to slightly attenuate, margins entire or serrulate, apices acute; distal sessile, blades linear to linear-lanceolate, 8–50 × 1.5–5 mm, progressively reduced distally, more strongly so in arrays, bases cuneate to rounded, sometimes slightly clasping, apices acute to acuminate. |
(crowded, light green, shiny) firm, margins crenulate-serrate or entire, revolute, apices acute to acuminate, mucronate, abaxial faces glabrous or midveins sometimes with hairs apically, adaxial glabrous; basal withering by flowering, subpetiolate (petioles dilated, winged, sheathing), blades spatulate to oblanceolate, 30–100+ × 3–20+ mm, bases attenuate to cuneate, margins remotely crenate-serrate to subentire, apices acute to rounded; proximal cauline withering by flowering, sessile or subpetiolate (petioles widely winged, clasping), blades oblanceolate, 50–150 × 20–30 mm, greatly reduced distally, bases auriculate, clasping, apices acute to acuminate; distal sessile, blades lanceolate to lance-elliptic to oblanceolate, 40–70 × 10–25 mm, little reduced distally, bases auriculate, clasping, margins entire, apices acute to acuminate. |
Peduncles | 0.8–5.7 cm, slender, sparsely ot moderately pilosulous, bracts 3–5, linear-lanceolate, often crowded proximal to and surpassing heads. |
0.2–3+ cm, glabrous or pilose in lines, bracts 4–6, lanceolate-linear, often subtending heads. |
Involucres | campanulate, 6–10 mm. |
campanulate, 6–12 mm. |
Ray florets | 25–44; corollas usually pale purple or lilac, sometimes white, laminae 9.5–20 × 0.7–1.4 mm. |
20–40; corollas usually blue to pale lavender, sometimes white, laminae 9–18 × 1.0–1.2 mm. |
Disc florets | 29–52; corollas yellow becoming reddish purple, 5–6 mm, tubes slightly shorter than funnelform throats, lobes lanceolate, 0.6–0.7 mm. |
30–50; corollas yellow or cream becoming pink or purple, (4.5–)5–6.4 mm, tubes shorter than funnelform throats, lobes triangular to lanceolate, 0.6–0.9 mm. |
Phyllaries | in 2–3 series, oblong-oblanceolate or -spatulate (outer) or oblong-lanceolate to linear-lanceolate or linear (inner), ± unequal, bases indurate 1/3–3/4, margins hyaline, scarious, erose distally, sparsely ciliolate distally, green zones lanceolate, outer often foliaceous distally, apices acute to long-acuminate, ± spreading, faces glabrous. |
in 4–5(–6) series, linear-lanceolate to linear, slightly unequal, bases indurate 1/5–1/2, margins not scarious (outer) to narrowly scarious, erose, hyaline, sparsely ciliolate, green zones linear-lanceolate, outer sometimes ± foliaceous, apices acute to acuminate or long-acuminate to caudate, faces glabrous. |
Heads | in elongate, loosely racemiform arrays, branches ascending, heads single at ends of primary branches or long pedicels. |
in densely paniculiform arrays, branches ascending, densely leafy (branch leaves often overtopping heads). |
Cypselae | reddish tan, obovoid, compressed, 1.5–2.8 mm, 4–5-nerved, faces strigillose; pappi yellowish, 7–8 mm. |
purple or brown, obovoid, oblong or oblanceolate, ± falcate, ± compressed, 1.5–3 mm, 3–4-nerved, faces glabrous or sparsely strigillose; pappi white, 5.2–8 mm. |
2n | = 80. |
= 16. |
Symphyotrichum anticostense |
Symphyotrichum firmum |
|
Phenology | Flowering Aug–Sep. | Flowering Aug–Oct. |
Habitat | Calcareous, gravelly shores of rivers, lakeshore limestone pavements | Open, wet soils, spreading into mesic mineral soils, fens, marshes, wet roadsides |
Elevation | 0–100 m (0–300 ft) | 100–400 m (300–1300 ft) |
Distribution |
ME; NB; QC
|
GA; IA; MI; MN; MO; NE; AB; MB; ON; SK
|
Discussion | Of conservation concern. Symphyotrichum anticostense is known from disjunct areas: western Lake St. John, southern Anticosti Island, southern streams of the Gaspé Peninsula (Quebec), Restigouche River (Quebec–New Brunswick), and St. John (New Brunswick) and Aroostook (Maine; A. Haines 2000) rivers. It is an allopolyploid derivative of the cross between the calcareous fen species S. boreale and the widespread shore species S. novi-belgii (J. Labrecque and L. Brouillet 1990). It hybridizes with S. novi-belgii. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
The range of this little known species is badly defined because some specimens attributed to it are in fact white-rayed, glabrate forms of Symphyotrichum puniceum. More work is needed to verify the status of this species. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 20, p. 529. | FNA vol. 20, p. 526. |
Parent taxa | Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Symphyotrichum > subg. Symphyotrichum > sect. Symphyotrichum | Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Symphyotrichum > subg. Symphyotrichum > sect. Symphyotrichum |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Aster anticostensis, Aster gaspensis, Aster hesperius var. gaspensis | Aster firmus, Aster lucidulus, Aster puniceus var. firmus |
Name authority | (Fernald) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 275. (1995) | (Nees) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 282. (1995) |
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