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

serpentine aster, starved aster

Habit Perennials, 30–120 cm, cespitose; with thick, woody, branched caudices, or short, fleshy rhizomes, sometimes with woody cormoid portions. Perennials, 20–50 cm, colonial or cespitose; branched 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.

1–3+, erect (straight, brittle), glabrate.

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 ciliate, abaxial faces glabrous or glabrate, adaxial sparsely strigose;

basal withering by flowering (new rosettes developing at flowering), sessile, blades lanceolate to oblanceolate or spatulate, 20–40+ × 3–5+ mm, bases attenuate, margins sparsely serrate to subentire, strigose-ciliate, apices acute to obtuse;

proximal cauline usually withering by flowering, sessile, blades linear-oblanceolate, ca. 30 × 2 mm, bases tapering, margins entire, scabrous, apices acute;

distal sometimes withering by flowering, sessile, blades linear, 10–30 × 1.5–5 mm, reduced distally, bases cuneate or not tapering, margins entire, apices acute, ± mucronulate.

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.

long, gradually reduced distally on branches, glabrous or glabrate, bracts 3–17+, linear, mucronate.

Involucres

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

cylindro-campanulate, (3.2–) 3.4–4 (–4.3) 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.

7–14;

corollas usually white, seldom pink, laminae (3–)3.8–5.4(–6.2) × 0.5–1.1 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.

7–17;

corollas yellow becoming brown, (2.2–)2.5–2.9(–3.1) mm, tubes shorter than narrowly funnelform throats, lobes lanceolate, 0.3–0.6(–0.9) 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, oblong-lanceolate, unequal, bases indurate 1/2–3/4, margins narrowly scarious, slightly or not erose, sparsely ciliolate or not distally, green zones lanceolate, apices acute, involute, slightly spreading, faces glabrous.

Heads

in leafy, often crowded, paniculo-corymbiform arrays.

in open, wide, paniculiform arrays, branches arching, sometimes ± secund, abundantly bracteate.

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.

yellowish brown, obovoid, ± compressed, ± 1.2–1.3 mm, 3–4-nerved, faces sparsely to moderately strigillose;

pappi white (yellowish), 2.4–3.3 mm.

2n

= 10.

= 16.

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae

Symphyotrichum depauperatum

Phenology Flowering Aug–Oct(–Nov). Flowering Aug–Oct.
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 Serpentine or diabasic soils
Elevation 0–1600 m (0–5200 ft) 400–1000 m (1300–3300 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
MD; NC; PA
[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.)

Of conservation concern.

Symphyotrichum depauperatum is federally listed in the United States.

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

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 487. FNA vol. 20, p. 510.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Symphyotrichum > subg. Virgulus Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Symphyotrichum > subg. Symphyotrichum > sect. Symphyotrichum
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. chilense, S. ciliatum, S. ciliolatum, S. concolor, S. cordifolium, S. cusickii, S. defoliatum, 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 depauperatus, Aster ericoides var. depauperatus, Aster ericoides var. pusillus, Aster parviceps var. pusillus, Aster pilosus var. pusillus
Name authority (Linnaeus) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 287. (1995) (Fernald) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 279. (1995)
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