Symphyotrichum lentum
Suisun Marsh aster
1–5, ascending to erect, glabrous.
thin, margins entire, apices acute, faces glabrous;
basal withering by flowering, petiolate, blades linear to narrowly lanceolate, 100–150 × 5–10 mm, attenuate or cuneate, margins entire, apices acute, faces usually glabrous;
proximalmost cauline usually withering by flowering, sessile, blades linear to narrowly lanceolate or oblanceolate, 50–90 × 5–8(–20) mm, bases attenuate or cuneate;
distal sessile, blades 40–80 × 5–8(–15) mm, bases cuneate.
glabrous or sparsely villous, bracts 5–15, sessile, lance-linear to lanceolate, margins sometimes spiculate.
campanulate, 5–8 mm.
20–45+;
corollas violet, laminae 10–18 × 1–2 mm.
35–70+;
corollas yellow, 5–7 mm, lobes triangular, 0.8–1.5 mm.
in 4–5 series, narrowly oblong (outer) to linear (inner), unequal (outer at least 3 times longer than wide), bases (outer) indurate 1/2 or less, margins scarious proximally, eciliate or ciliolate, green zones lanceolate to elliptic, apices acute to acuminate, faces glabrous.
in paniculiform arrays, branches some at least 25 cm.
brown, cylindric to obovoid, not compressed, 3–4 mm, 2–4-nerved, faces glabrous or hairy;
pappi white, 5–7 mm.
= 16, 64.
Symphyotrichum lentum
Symphyotrichum lentum is known only from the Sacramento Valley, North Bay County, lower Sacramento River, and San Francisco Bay areas. Probable intergrades with S. chilense have been noted.
of conservation concern
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
CA
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
