Symphyotrichum jessicae |
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Jessica's aster, Palouse aster |
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Habit | Perennials, 40–150 cm, colonial; long-rhizomatous. |
Stems | 1–5+, ascending to erect, densely puberulent to lanate, especially distally. |
Leaves | thickish, margins entire or shallowly crenate, apices acute to ± obtuse, faces densely lanate-puberulent; basal withering by flowering, petiolate, blades obovate to elliptic, 30–150 × 10–40 mm, bases cuneate to rounded, margins entire, ciliolate, apices acute, faces densely cinereous to lanate; proximalmost cauline sometimes withering by flowering, subpetiolate or sessile, blades obovate-lanceolate to elliptic, 50–100 × 10–25(–35) mm, bases cuneate, clasping, ± auriculate, apices usually acute; distal sessile, blades 20–60(–80) × 9–16(–20) mm, bases rounded to auriculate. |
Peduncles | densely lanate, bracts 1–8, elliptic, margins ciliolate, apices acute, puberulent. |
Involucres | campanulate, 6–10 mm. |
Ray florets | 18–40; corollas violet, laminae (8–)12–20 × 1–2(–2.5) mm. |
Disc florets | 35–80+; corollas yellow, 6–9 mm, lobes triangular, 0.4–1 mm. |
Phyllaries | in 4–6 series, oblanceolate (outer) to linear (inner), unequal, bases scarious (outer sometimes foliaceous), margins slightly scarious, entire, green zones obovate to elliptic, apices acute, faces densely lanate to cinereous. |
Heads | in paniculiform, very leafy arrays, branches 4–10(–20) cm. |
Cypselae | brown, cylindric to obovoid, not compressed, 3.5–4.5 mm, 4–5-nerved, faces sparsely hairy; pappi tawny, (6–)7–9 mm. |
2n | = 80. |
Symphyotrichum jessicae |
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Phenology | Flowering Aug–Sep. |
Habitat | Dry grasslands, meadows, stream banks, openings in Ponderosa pine woodlands |
Elevation | 500–1200 m (1600–3900 ft) |
Distribution |
ID; WA
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Discussion | Of conservation concern. Symphyotrichum jessicae is known only from the Palouse and Clearwater river drainages of eastern Washington and adjacent northwestern Idaho. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 20, p. 536. |
Parent taxa | |
Sibling taxa | |
Synonyms | Aster jessicae |
Name authority | (Piper) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 283. (1995) |
Web links |