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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

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

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

usually simple, sometimes ± branched.

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.

Peduncles

sparsely hairy, bracts 0–3, lanceolate.

Involucres

campanulate, 6–16(–20) mm.

Ray florets

15–60;

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

fewer than disc florets, in 1 series (conspicuous).

Disc florets/Disc corollas

50–150;

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

± ampliate, lobes erect.

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.

Heads

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

radiate.

Cypselae

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

pappi white to tawny, 5–8 mm.

Pappi

shorter than to equaling disc florets at flowering.

x

= 8.

Symphyotrichum foliaceum

Symphyotrichum sect. Occidentales

Distribution
from FNA
AK; AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
w North America
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.)

Species 12 (12 in the flora).

(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. 531.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Symphyotrichum > subg. Symphyotrichum > sect. Occidentales Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Symphyotrichum > subg. 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
Subordinate taxa
S. foliaceum var. apricum, S. foliaceum var. canbyi, S. foliaceum var. foliaceum, S. foliaceum var. parryi
Synonyms Aster foliaceus Aster unranked Occidentales
Name authority (Lindley ex de Candolle) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 282. (1995) (Rydberg) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 271. (1995)
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