Flora of North America species comparison

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Symphyotrichum laeve var. geyeri

Symphyotrichum sect. Symphyotrichum
Photo is of parent taxon

Geyer's aster, Geyer's smooth aster, smooth aster, smooth blue aster
Habit Perennials; rhizomatous.
Stems

usually simple, sometimes ± branched.
Leaves

lanceolate to ovate, conspicuously auriculate-clasping, less than 5 times as long as wide.

Ray florets

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

± ampliate, lobes usually erect, sometimes spreading or reflexed.
Phyllaries

unequal, apical green zones lanceolate.

Heads

radiate.
Pappi

shorter than to equaling disc florets at flowering.
x

= 8.
2n

= 48.

Symphyotrichum laeve var. geyeri

Symphyotrichum sect. Symphyotrichum
Phenology Flowering (Jul–)Aug–Oct.
Habitat Open, dry habitats, mixed- and tallgrass prairies, open pine forests, montane meadows, edges of aspen groves, edges of montane forests, clearings, roadsides
Elevation 300–2400 m (1000–7900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; CO; ID; MT; ND; NE; NM; SD; TX; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; MB; ON; SK; YT; Nev ; Mexico (Coahuila)
[BONAP county map]
North America; Mexico [Widely introduced worldwide through ornamental horticulture]
Discussion

The distribution of var. geyeri forms a continuous arc across the Canadian mixed-grass prairies and aspen parkland into the Northern Rockies, and south in a discontinuous manner in the Central Rockies and the Black Hills, to Guadalupe Peak, western Texas. It is disjunct in northern Coahuila, Mexico (G. L. Nesom 1993g). The species was recently reported for California (tentatively assigned to this variety), where possibly it has been introduced.

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

Species 39+ (36 in the flora).

Subsections have been recognized within sect. Symphyotrichum. They are not treated formally here. Subsectional phylogeny is mostly unresolved. Lists of species (from the flora area) within each subsection are provided here as a rough guide to relationships.

Subsection Heterophylli (Nees) Semple: Symphyotrichum cordifolium, S. ciliolatum, S. drummondii, S. anomalum, S. shortii, S. undulatum, S. urophyllum, S. oolentangiense, S. laeve, S. retroflexum.

Subsection Porteriana (Rydberg) G. L. Nesom: Symphyotrichum depauperatum, S. parviceps, S. pilosum, S. porteri, S. priceae.

Subsection Dumosi (Torrey & A. Gray) G. L. Nesom: Symphyotrichum dumosum, S. simmondsii, S. racemosum, S. eulae, S. tradescantii, S. lateriflorum, S. ontarionis, S. lanceolatum, S. praealtum, S. boreale, S. nahanniense, S. welshii.

Subsection Symphyotrichum: Symphyotrichum elliottii, S. puniceum, S. firmum, S. rhiannon, S. prenanthoides, S. novi-belgii, S. anticostense, S. robynsianum.

Undeteremined [often treated as monotypic sect. Turbinelli (Rydberg) Semple]: Symphyotrichum turbinellum.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 509. FNA vol. 20, p. 500.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Symphyotrichum > subg. Symphyotrichum > sect. Symphyotrichum > Symphyotrichum laeve Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Symphyotrichum > subg. Symphyotrichum
Sibling taxa
S. laeve var. concinnum, S. laeve var. laeve, S. laeve var. purpuratum
Subordinate taxa
Synonyms Aster laevis var. geyeri, Aster geyeri, Aster laevis subsp. geyeri, Aster laevis var. guadalupensis
Name authority (A. Gray) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 284. (1995) unknown
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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