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aster de nouvelle-angleterre, New England American-aster, New England aster, New England or michaelmas daisy

common California aster, common California or Pacific aster, Pacific aster

Habit Perennials, 30–120 cm, cespitose; with thick, woody, branched caudices, or short, fleshy rhizomes, sometimes with woody cormoid portions. Perennials, 40–100(–120) cm, colonial or cespitose; long-rhizomatous.
Stems

1–5+, erect (stout, light to dark brown, sometimes purplish distally), proximally sparsely to moderately hispiduloso-hirsute or pilose, distally moderately to densely so, stipitate-glandular.

1–5+, ascending or erect, glabrous or hirsute.

Leaves

(light to dark green) thin, often stiff, margins entire or sometimes with shallow teeth, ciliate;

basal withered or withering by flowering, sessile, blades (3-nerved) usually spatulate, sometimes oblanceolate, 20–60 × 5–15 mm, bases attenuate, apices acute, faces sparsely hirsute;

proximal cauline withering by flowering, sessile, blades oblong or lanceolate, 50–100 × 5–15(–20) mm, bases auriculate-clasping, margins entire, pustulate-scabrous, apices acute, mucronulate, faces stipitate-glandular, abaxial thinly strigose, adaxial hirsute or hispidulous;

distal sessile, blades oblanceolate, 30–80 × 6–15 mm, gradually reduced distally, bases auriculate-clasping, apices acute to obtuse, mucronate to minutely white-spinulose, faces moderately to densely short-soft-hairy, sparsely to moderately stipitate-glandular.

thin, margins entire, apices usually acute, faces glabrous or sparsely puberulent;

basal withering by flowering, petiolate, blades (linear-)oblanceolate to obovate, 30–200 × 4–40 mm, bases attenuate, margins entire to finely serrate, apices acute;

proximalmost cauline sometimes withering by flowering, sessile, blades broadly to narrowly oblanceolate, 40–150 × 5–30 mm, bases usually ± attenuate or cuneate;

distal sessile, blades lanceolate to oblanceolate, 25–90 × 5–30 mm, bases cuneate.

Peduncles

dilated distally, 0.3–4 cm, densely short-hairy, stipitate-glandular, bracts 1–4, foliaceous, linear to narrowly lanceolate, densely short-hairy, stipitate-glandular, grading into phyllaries.

puberulent, bracts 3–10, lanceolate to elliptic, margins often scabrous to ciliolate.

Involucres

campanulate to hemispheric, (5–)7–9(–15) mm.

campanulate, 5–8 mm.

Ray florets

(40–)50–75(-100);

corollas dark rose to deep purple (pale pink or white), laminae 9–13 × 0.8–1.3 mm.

15–40;

corollas violet, laminae 9–15 × 1.5–2.5 mm.

Disc florets

50–110;

corollas light yellow becoming purple, (4–)4.5–5.5(–7) mm, tubes ± 1/2 narrowly funnelform throats (glabrous or thinly puberulent), lobes triangular, 0.4–0.7 mm.

35–60+;

corollas yellow, 4–8 mm, lobes triangular, 0.5–1 mm.

Phyllaries

in 3–5(–6) series (dark green to purple-tinged), linear-lanceolate, subequal, outer foliaceous, mid and inner scarious in basal 1/3–1/2, margins stipitate-glandular, apices long-acuminate to acuminate, spreading to reflexed or squarrose, faces glabrous, outer densely stipitate-glandular.

in 3–5 series, oblanceolate or oblong (outer) to linear (inner), unequal to subequal (outer usually shorter than inner, if so, lengths less than 3 times widths), bases scarious (outer) less than 1/2 or sometimes wholly foliaceous, inner scarious, margins eciliate or ciliolate, green zones oblanceolate to obovate or linear (innermost), apices (outer) obtuse, (inner) acute, faces glabrous or puberulent.

Heads

in leafy, often crowded, paniculo-corymbiform arrays.

in open, paniculiform arrays, some branches at least 20+ cm.

Cypselae

dull purple or brown, oblong or obconic, not compressed, 1.8–2.5(–3) × 0.6–1 mm, 7–10-nerved, faces densely sericeous, sparsely stipitate-glandular;

pappi tawny (barb tips sometimes rose-tinged), 4.5–6 mm.

brown, cylindric to obovoid, not compressed, 3.5–4.5 mm, 2–4-nerved, faces hairy;

pappi white to tawny, 4–8 mm.

2n

= 10.

= 48, 64, 96.

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae

Symphyotrichum chilense

Phenology Flowering Aug–Oct(–Nov). Flowering Jul–Sep.
Habitat Open, moist to wet, sandy or loamy, rich soils, fields, prairies, meadows, marshy grounds, shrubby swamps, fens, shores, thickets, moist edges of woods, roadsides, railroad rights-of-way, somewhat weedy Grasslands, salt marshes, coastal dunes and bluffs, coastal grasslands and scrub, open disturbed habitats in evergreen and Pacific coast coniferous forest
Elevation 0–1600 m (0–5200 ft) 0–500 m (0–1600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CO; CT; DC; DE; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; UT; VA; WA; WI; WV; WY; MB; NB; NS; ON; QC [Introduced in Europe]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae is escaped from cultivation and introduced in Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming, and has been reported as an ephemeral escape in British Columbia. It possibly escaped from cultivation elsewhere. The Michaelmas daisy is widely sold in the horticultural trade, where cultivars have been developed. Forms have been described that correspond to color genetic variants within natural populations {Aster novae-angliae forma roseus (Desfontaines) Britton; A. novae-angliae forma geneseensis House}; they are not recognized here.

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae resembles Canadanthus modestus, but the ranges of the two do not overlap, and the latter has sparsely hairy cypselae with dark ribs. Symphyotrichum novae-angliae hybridizes with S. ericoides, forming the F1 intersectional hybrid S. ×amethystinum.

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

Symphyotrichum chilense is restricted to coastal habitats from southwestern British Columbia to central California. It is almost entirely coastal in Oregon, Washington, and southern British Columbia, where it is mainly hexaploid (2n = 48). In Oregon, where it is sympatric with S. subspicatum, the latter is mainly duodecaploid (2n = 96). The distinction does not hold in British Columbia, however, where S. subspicatum is both 2n = 48 and 96, and where S. chilense is less common (G. A. Allen 1984). The species was erroneously thought by Nees to occur in Chile. The plants named Aster chilensis var. medius Jepson are hybrids of S. chilense and S. lentum.

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

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 487. FNA vol. 20, p. 536.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Symphyotrichum > subg. Virgulus Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Symphyotrichum > subg. Symphyotrichum > sect. Occidentales
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. foliaceum, 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. 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
S. adnatum, S. anomalum, S. anticostense, S. ascendens, S. boreale, S. bracteolatum, S. campestre, S. chapmanii, 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. foliaceum, 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
Synonyms Aster novae-angliae, Virgulus novae-angliae Aster chilensis, Aster chilensis var. invenustus
Name authority (Linnaeus) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 287. (1995) (Nees) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 277. (1995)
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