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Anticosti American-aster, Anticosti aster, Anticosti Island aster, aster d'Anticosti

soft aster

Habit Perennials, 10–90 cm, colonial; long-rhizomatous. Perennials, 30–60 cm, colonial; long-rhizomatous.
Stems

1, erect (straight, often reddish), glabrous.

1–5+, ascending to erect, densely puberulent to lanate, especially 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.

thin, margins entire, apices acute, faces densely lanate-puberulent;

basal often withering by flowering, subpetiolate, blades oblanceolate, 15–50 × 5–20 mm, bases cuneate, margins entire, apices acute, faces densely lanate;

proximal cauline sessile or subpetiolate, blades oblanceolate, 50–150 × 10–25 mm, bases slightly clasping, rarely auriculate;

distal sessile, blades lanceolate, 30–100 × 10–20 mm, reduced distally, bases tapered, ± auriculate, apices acute.

Peduncles

0.8–5.7 cm, slender, sparsely ot moderately pilosulous, bracts 3–5, linear-lanceolate, often crowded proximal to and surpassing heads.

densely cinereous to lanate, bracts 0–3, lanceolate to narrowly ovate.

Involucres

campanulate, 6–10 mm.

campanulate, 7–9 mm.

Ray florets

25–44;

corollas usually pale purple or lilac, sometimes white, laminae 9.5–20 × 0.7–1.4 mm.

20–35;

corollas violet, laminae 12–20 × 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.

35–70;

corollas yellow, 5–6.5 mm, lobes triangular, 0.5–1 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, squarrose, oblong to oblanceolate, unequal, bases of outer indurate less than 1/3, margins entire, green zones oblong-linear to oblanceolate, apices acute or obtuse (sometimes minutely mucronate), faces densely puberulent to lanate.

Heads

in elongate, loosely racemiform arrays, branches ascending, heads single at ends of primary branches or long pedicels.

in corymbiform to paniculiform arrays, branches to 20 cm.

Cypselae

reddish tan, obovoid, compressed, 1.5–2.8 mm, 4–5-nerved, faces strigillose;

pappi yellowish, 7–8 mm.

brown, cylindric to obovoid, not compressed, 2.5–3.5 mm, 4–5-nerved, faces hairy;

pappi whitish, 5–7 mm.

2n

= 80.

= 32.

Symphyotrichum anticostense

Symphyotrichum molle

Phenology Flowering Aug–Sep. Flowering Aug.
Habitat Calcareous, gravelly shores of rivers, lakeshore limestone pavements Dry montane meadows
Elevation 0–100 m (0–300 ft) 2000–3000 m (6600–9800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
ME; NB; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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.)

Symphyotrichum molle is known only from the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming. Because of its densely hairy leaves, stems, and involucres, it was compared by its author with S. jessicae, a narrow endemic of southeastern Washington and adjacent Idaho.

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

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 529. FNA vol. 20, p. 535.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Symphyotrichum > subg. Symphyotrichum > sect. Symphyotrichum Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Symphyotrichum > subg. Symphyotrichum > sect. Occidentales
Sibling taxa
S. adnatum, S. anomalum, 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. 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
Synonyms Aster anticostensis, Aster gaspensis, Aster hesperius var. gaspensis Aster mollis
Name authority (Fernald) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 275. (1995) (Rydberg) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 286. (1995)
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