Symphyotrichum grandiflorum |
Symphyotrichum prenanthoides |
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big-head aster, large-flower aster |
crooked-stem American-aster, crookedstem aster |
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Habit | Perennials, 50–100 cm, colonial; woody rhizomatous. | Perennials, 20–90(–120) cm, colonial; long-rhizomatous. |
Stems | 1–5+, erect (stout, brown), proximally ± hispid, distally sparsely strigose, distally stipitate-glandular. |
1(–3+), ascending to erect (usually flexuous, sometimes ± straight, sometimes stout, older often dark purple), glabrous proximally, moderately hirsute distally. |
Leaves | stiff (dark green), greatly reduced distally, margins entire, scabrous; basal early deciduous, sessile, blades (3-nerved) oblanceolate, 40–80 × 4–12 mm, bases attenuate, apices obtuse to acute, faces sparsely scabrous; proximal cauline usually withered by flowering, sessile, blades oblanceolate to lanceolate-oblong, 20–60 × 5–20 mm, bases cordate-clasping, apices acute, mucronulate, faces glabrate to sparsely scabrous, stipitate-glandular; distal sessile, blades lanceolate to oblong, 20–40 × 5–8 mm, bases cuneate, apices acute, mucronulate to white-spinulose, faces glabrous or scabrous, sparsely stipitate-glandular. |
thin, margins scabrous, apices mucronate, abaxial faces glabrous, midveins hispid to glabrate, adaxial scabrous; basal withering by flowering, petiolate (petioles slender or slightly winged, bases reddish, dilated, sheathing, ciliate), blades obovate to oblanceolate, 15–70 × 10–20 mm, bases attenuate, margins crenate-serrate, apices acute to obtuse; proximalmost cauline withering by flowering, proximal mostly persistent, petiolate to subpetiolate (petioles ± widely winged, bases dilated, strongly auriculate-clasping), blades ovate to lance-ovate or elliptic-lanceolate to oblanceolate, 80–160(–200) × 15–55 mm, progressively reduced distally, bases attenuate, margins sharply serrate (teeth mucronulate), apices acuminate to subcaudate; distal subpetiolate or sessile (petioles broadly winged, auriculate-clasping), blades oblanceolate to lanceolate, sometimes panduriform, 7–90 × 2–25 mm, progressively reduced distally, more sharply so on branches, bases attenuate (petiolate) or ± cuneate to auriculate-clasping and slightly constricted above auricles (panduriform), margins serrate or entire. |
Peduncles | 3–5 cm, short-strigose, stipitate-glandular, bracts spreading to reflexed, lanceolate-oblong, 5–10 mm, little reduced distally, grading into phyllaries. |
(8–)10–40 mm, sparsely to densely hispid, bracts lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 3–12 mm, somewhat grading into phyllaries. |
Involucres | campanulate, 8.5–12 mm. |
campanulate, 5–6 mm. |
Ray florets | 14–35; corollas light to reddish purple, laminae 11–15(–20) × 1.5–2.5 mm. |
17–25(–30); corollas usually lavender to blue, rarely white, laminae 7.5–12(–15) × 1–2 mm. |
Disc florets | 25–35; corollas yellow becoming reddish purple, 5.5–8 mm, lobes narrowly triangular, 0.7–1 mm. |
39–50(–65); corollas cream colored or light yellow becoming purple or brown, 3.5–5 mm, tubes ± equaling campanulate to funnelform throats (thinly puberulent), lobes triangular, 0.5–1 mm. |
Phyllaries | in 3–4 series, spatulate-oblanceolate, unequal, bases ± indurate, margins scarious, green zones covering distal portion, apices spreading to strongly reflexed, faces sparsely scabrous, moderately stipitate-glandular. |
in 4–6 series, oblong-lanceolate or -oblanceolate, slightly constricted near middle (outer) to linear-lanceolate or linear (inner), ± unequal (flexible), bases indurate 1/5–1/2, margins ± narrowly hyaline, scarious, erose, sometimes ciliolate distally, green zones lanceolate to linear-lanceolate (inner), often distally foliaceous, sometimes outer ± entirely so, apices spreading to ± squarrose, acute to acuminate, mucronulate, abaxial faces sparsely hirsutulous to glabrate or glabrous, adaxial glabrous or sparsely hirsutulous. |
Heads | in racemiform to paniculiform arrays, branches patent or ascending with 1–5+ heads. |
in broad, ± flat, corymbo-paniculiform arrays, branches often purplish, divaricate to ascending, slender. |
Cypselae | light brown, cylindric to narrowly obovoid, ± compressed, 3–4.5 mm, 7–10-nerved (brown), faces moderately strigose; pappi tan, 5.5–6 mm. |
dull purple or stramineous with purple streaks or purplish-tinged, cylindro-oblanceoloid to obovoid, ± compressed, 2–3(–3.5) mm, 4–6-nerved, faces sparsely to moderately strigillose; pappi sordid, 3.5–4.5 mm. |
2n | = 30, 60. |
= 32. |
Symphyotrichum grandiflorum |
Symphyotrichum prenanthoides |
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Phenology | Flowering (Sep–)Oct(–Nov). | Flowering Aug–Oct. |
Habitat | Sandy soils, sand hills, roadsides, edges of deciduous woods and thickets | Moist or swampy grounds, woods, thickets, meadows, seeps, stream banks, roadsides |
Elevation | 0–200+ m (0–700+ ft) | 100–1500 m (300–4900 ft) |
Distribution |
NC; SC; VA
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CT; DC; DE; IA; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; MI; MN; NC; NJ; NY; OH; PA; VA; WI; WV; ON
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Discussion | Symphyotrichum prenanthoides is of conservation concern in Canada and in a number of states. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 20, p. 484. | FNA vol. 20, p. 527. |
Parent taxa | Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Symphyotrichum > subg. Virgulus | Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Symphyotrichum > subg. Symphyotrichum > sect. Symphyotrichum |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Aster grandiflorus, Virgulus grandiflorus | Aster prenanthoides |
Name authority | (Linnaeus) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 283. (1995) | (Muhlenberg ex Willdenow) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 290. (1995) |
Web links |