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alpine leafybract aster, Canby's leafybract aster, Cusick's American aster, Cusick's aster, Henderson's aster, Kootenai aster, leafy aster, leafy or leafy-bract or alpine leafybract aster, leafy-bract aster, Parry's aster

aster à longues feuilles, longleaf aster, Robyns' aster

Habit Perennials 10–60 cm, colonial; long-rhizomatous. Perennials, 10–80 cm, colonial; long-rhizomatous.
Stems

1–5+, ascending to erect, glabrous or sparsely puberulent.

1, erect (± flexuous, often reddish), glabrous, hairy in lines distally.

Leaves

thin, margins entire or sometimes serrate, apices acute to obtuse, faces usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely hairy;

basal usually persistent, petiolate to subpetiolate, blades broadly elliptic to obovate, 30–200 × 8–25(–30) mm, bases attenuate, margins entire or sometimes serrate, apices acute to obtuse;

proximal cauline sessile or subpetiolate, blades elliptic to obovate, 35–120 × 8–25 mm, bases attenuate or cuneate to rounded, sometimes ± clasping, apices acute;

distal sessile, reduced distally, bases cuneate, apices acute.

stiff, margins sparsely serrulate or entire, ± revolute, scabrous, apices acute to acuminate, mucronulate, faces glabrous, sometimes midveins hairy;

basal withering by flowering, long-petiolate, petioles narrowly winged, bases sheathing, blades lanceolate, ca. 20 × 3–5 mm, slightly attenuate to narrowly cuneate;

proximal cauline withering by flowering, sessile or subpetiolate, blades linear-lanceolate to -oblanceolate, 100–200 × 4–8 mm, bases cuneate to attenuate, clasping;

distal sessile, blades linear-lanceolate to linear, 10–110 × 1–7 mm, progressively reduced distally, bases cuneate to rounded, slightly clasping or not, margins entire.

Peduncles

sparsely hairy, bracts 0–3, lanceolate.

glabrous or ± densely pilose in lines, bracts 1–4, linear, sometimes inrolled distally, clasping, ciliate, distal 1–2 often subtending and surpassing involucres.

Involucres

campanulate, 6–16(–20) mm.

campanulate, 5–8.5 mm.

Ray florets

15–60;

corollas violet to purple, laminae 8–18(–20) × 1–2 mm.

20–35;

corollas dark blue-violet, seldom white, laminae 8–13 × 1–1.5 mm.

Disc florets

50–150;

corollas yellow, 4–7 mm, lobes triangular, 0.4–1 mm.

(18–)23–40;

corollas yellow, 4–6.5 mm, tubes shorter than funnelform throats, lobes lanceolate, 0.8–1 mm.

Phyllaries

in 4–6 series, oblanceolate or oblong (outer) to lanceolate or linear (inner), subequal or unequal (outer exceeding inner), bases outer foliaceous, inner indurate, margins entire, green zones elliptic to lanceolate, apices acute to rounded, faces glabrous or puberulent.

in 3–4 series, oblong-lanceolate, subequal, bases indurate 1/3–3/4, margins scarious, erose, hyaline, ciliate proximally, sparsely ciliolate distally, green zones lanceolate to linear, sometimes outer ± foliaceous, apices acuminate to long-acuminate, often foliaceous, mucronate to apiculate, faces glabrous, eglandular.

Heads

borne singly or in paniculiform arrays, branches ascending, up to 25 cm.

in elongate, open, narrow, paniculiform or racemiform arrays, branches ascending, short, leafy, branch leaves smaller and reduced distally (heads 1–3 per branch).

Cypselae

brown, cylindric to obovoid, not compressed, 2.5–4 mm, 3–4-nerved, faces hairy;

pappi white to tawny, 5–8 mm.

tan, obovoid, compressed, ca. 2.2–2.4 mm, 5–6-nerved, faces sparsely strigillose;

pappi pinkish, 7–8 mm.

2n

= 64, 80.

Symphyotrichum foliaceum

Symphyotrichum robynsianum

Phenology Flowering Aug–Sep.
Habitat Wet or damp, open, sandy, gravelly, or rocky grounds, often calcareous, cracks in rocky stream or lake shores, limestone alvars, seasonally wet glades and swales, jackpine outwash plains
Elevation 10–400 m (0–1300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
MI; MN; WI; MB; ON; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 4 (4 in the flora).

Symphyotrichum foliaceum is extremely variable and is widespread in western montane coniferous forests and subalpine meadows.

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

The name Aster longifolius Lamarck has been misapplied to this taxon.

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

Key
1. Plants 5–30 cm; heads 1–12; phyllaries subequal, narrowly lanceolate
→ 2
1. Plants usually 20–60 cm; heads usually 5–20; outer phyllaries exceeding inner, wider, often foliaceous
→ 3
2. Plants 5–20 cm; heads usually borne singly; phyllaries often purple-tinged; alpine or sub- alpine habitats
var. apricum
2. Plants 10–30 cm; heads usually 1–12; phyllaries green; montane to subalpine habitats.
var. parryi
3. Phyllaries obtuse to rounded; cauline leaves often clasping at base
var. canbyi
3. Phyllaries acute; cauline leaves sometimes rounded at base, not clasping
var. foliaceum
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 532. FNA vol. 20, p. 530.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Symphyotrichum > subg. Symphyotrichum > sect. Occidentales Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Symphyotrichum > subg. Symphyotrichum > sect. Symphyotrichum
Sibling taxa
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. 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. porteri, S. potosinum, S. praealtum, S. pratense, S. prenanthoides, S. priceae, S. puniceum, S. pygmaeum, S. racemosum, S. retroflexum, S. rhiannon, 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
Subordinate taxa
S. foliaceum var. apricum, S. foliaceum var. canbyi, S. foliaceum var. foliaceum, S. foliaceum var. parryi
Synonyms Aster foliaceus Aster robynsianus
Name authority (Lindley ex de Candolle) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 282. (1995) (J. Rousseau) Brouillet & Labrecque: Phytologia 82: 138. (1997)
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