Symphyotrichum depauperatum |
Symphyotrichum welshii |
|
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serpentine aster, starved aster |
Welsh's aster |
|
Habit | Perennials, 20–50 cm, colonial or cespitose; branched rhizomatous. | Perennials, 30–100 cm colonial; rhizomes shallow and long, often relatively thick (those of the season each producing a distal rosette near the parent plant). |
Stems | 1–3+, erect (straight, brittle), glabrate. |
1–2, ascending to erect (sometimes lax, sometimes reddish), glabrous or sparsely strigoso-villosulous distally (arrays). |
Leaves | thin, margins ciliate, abaxial faces glabrous or glabrate, adaxial sparsely strigose; basal withering by flowering (new rosettes developing at flowering), sessile, blades lanceolate to oblanceolate or spatulate, 20–40+ × 3–5+ mm, bases attenuate, margins sparsely serrate to subentire, strigose-ciliate, apices acute to obtuse; proximal cauline usually withering by flowering, sessile, blades linear-oblanceolate, ca. 30 × 2 mm, bases tapering, margins entire, scabrous, apices acute; distal sometimes withering by flowering, sessile, blades linear, 10–30 × 1.5–5 mm, reduced distally, bases cuneate or not tapering, margins entire, apices acute, ± mucronulate. |
(adaxially green, abaxially pale green, sometimes glaucous) thin (proximal) to stiff (distal), margins serrulate (proximal) or entire or nearly so, ± revolute, scabrous, apices mucronulate or sometimes callous-pointed, faces glabrous; basal withering by flowering, petiolate (petioles narrowly winged, sheathing), blades oblanceolate to spatulate, 10–40+ × 4–9+ mm, bases attenuate, margins entire, apices obtuse; proximal cauline withering by flowering, sessile or winged-petiolate, blades lanceolate to oblanceolate, 50–150 × 8–11 mm, bases slightly clasping, margins sparsely serrulate, apices acute; distal sessile, blades linear to linear-lanceolate, 50–130 × 4–6 mm, gradually reduced distally, bases ± clasping, apices acute. |
Peduncles | long, gradually reduced distally on branches, glabrous or glabrate, bracts 3–17+, linear, mucronate. |
0.5–2 cm, scabro-villosulous, bracts linear, scabro-ciliolate. |
Involucres | cylindro-campanulate, (3.2–) 3.4–4 (–4.3) mm. |
cylindro-campanulate, 4–7 mm. |
Ray florets | 7–14; corollas usually white, seldom pink, laminae (3–)3.8–5.4(–6.2) × 0.5–1.1 mm. |
18–25; corollas pink to white, laminae 9–12 × 0.8–1.5 mm. |
Disc florets | 7–17; corollas yellow becoming brown, (2.2–)2.5–2.9(–3.1) mm, tubes shorter than narrowly funnelform throats, lobes lanceolate, 0.3–0.6(–0.9) mm. |
23–60; corollas pale yellow, 3.8–6.4 mm, tubes shorter than funnelform throats, lobes narrowly triangular, 0.4–0.8 mm. |
Phyllaries | in 3–5 series, oblong-lanceolate, unequal, bases indurate 1/2–3/4, margins narrowly scarious, slightly or not erose, sparsely ciliolate or not distally, green zones lanceolate, apices acute, involute, slightly spreading, faces glabrous. |
in 3–4 series, lanceolate (outer) to linear (inner), ± unequal, bases indurate, margins hyaline, erose, distally scabro-ciliolate to ciliolate, green zones ± foliaceous (outer) or lanceolate, apices acute to acuminate, sometimes purplish, faces glabrous. |
Heads | in open, wide, paniculiform arrays, branches arching, sometimes ± secund, abundantly bracteate. |
in open, slender, leafy, paniculiform or racemiform arrays, branches ascending. |
Cypselae | yellowish brown, obovoid, ± compressed, ± 1.2–1.3 mm, 3–4-nerved, faces sparsely to moderately strigillose; pappi white (yellowish), 2.4–3.3 mm. |
pinkish tan (nerves stramineous), obovoid, ± compressed, 0.8–1.6 mm, 3–5-nerved, faces sparsely strigillose; pappi white, 2.8–5.3 mm. |
2n | = 16. |
= 16. |
Symphyotrichum depauperatum |
Symphyotrichum welshii |
|
Phenology | Flowering Aug–Oct. | Flowering Aug–Oct. |
Habitat | Serpentine or diabasic soils | Wet soils in dry areas, hanging gardens, seeps, wet ledges, stream banks |
Elevation | 400–1000 m (1300–3300 ft) | 1300–2300 m (4300–7500 ft) |
Distribution |
MD; NC; PA |
AZ; ID; MT; UT; WY |
Discussion | Of conservation concern. Symphyotrichum depauperatum is federally listed in the United States. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Of conservation concern. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 20, p. 510. | FNA vol. 20, p. 523. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Aster depauperatus, Aster ericoides var. depauperatus, Aster ericoides var. pusillus, Aster parviceps var. pusillus, Aster pilosus var. pusillus | Aster welshii |
Name authority | (Fernald) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 279. (1995) | (Cronquist) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 294. (1995) |
Web links |