Symphyotrichum phlogifolium |
Symphyotrichum eulae |
|
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thin-leaf late purple aster |
Eula's aster, Texas aster |
|
Habit | Perennials, 50–130 cm, cespitose; with short, thick, woody caudices, not rhizomatous. | Perennials, 5–150 cm, colonial; long-rhizomatous (rhizomes thick). |
Stems | 1, erect to arching, light to dark brown, soft-hairy, hairs ascending- to spreading- stipitate-glandular distally. |
1–3+, erect (straight, stout), glabrous. |
Leaves | (dark green) thin, almost membraneous; basal early deciduous, sessile or subpetiolate, blades spatulate to obovate, 80–140 × 20–30 mm, bases cuneate, margins entire to ± serrate, scabrous, apices acute; proximal cauline withering by flowering, sessile, blades panduriform, (20–)30–70(–110) × 10–30(–35) mm, bases auriculate-clasping, margins entire (flat), sparsely villoso-ciliate, apices acute, faces finely sparely villous or scabrous, stipitate-glandular; distal sessile, blades (rugose-veined when fresh) ovate to lanceolate, 75–125(–140) × 15–35(–40) mm, bases strongly cordate-clasping to auriculate-amplexicaul, margins entire (± undulate), apices acute, acuminate to merely mucronate, faces sparsely strigose, moderately so along veins, sparsely to moderately stipitate-glandular. |
firm, margins serrulate to serrate, distally entire, ± revolute, scabrous, apices mucronate, abaxial faces glabrous or glabrate, adaxial scabrous, cauline often with axillary tufts of leaves; basal withering by flowering, petiolate (petioles slightly winged, ciliate, sheathing), blades ovate or elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate, 15–120 × 15–35 mm, bases gradually to ± abruptly attenuate, margins crenate-serrate, apices obtuse to acute; proximal cauline withering by flowering, petiolate to subpetiolate (clasping), blades elliptic to lanceolate, 85–100 × 18–30 mm, bases cuneate to slightly attenuate, apices acute to acuminate; distal sessile, blades elliptic or elliptic-lanceolate to lanceolate, or lance-oblong to linear-lanceolate (arrays), 8–90 × 1–25 mm, progressively reduced distally, abruptly so in arrays, bases cuneate, margins entire, apices acute to acuminate. |
Peduncles | short (less than 4 cm), strigose, stipitate-glandular, bracts linear-lanceolate, ascending-appressed, grading into phyllaries. |
0.4–3 cm, secund, glabrous, bracts 5–10, not crowded, linear to linear-lanceolate, spreading, foliaceous, grading into phyllaries. |
Involucres | cylindric, 5.5–7.5(–8) mm. |
hemispheric, (4–)5–6.5 mm. |
Ray florets | 9–17; corollas light to dark reddish purple, laminae 10–18(–20) × 1–3 mm. |
(20–)27–36; corollas usually white to bluish or lavender-white, rarely pale lavender or lavender-pink, laminae 8–11 × 1–1.5 mm. |
Disc florets | 15–35; corollas white with purple lobes, 6–8 mm, lobes triangular, 1–1.5 mm. |
25–31; corollas yellow turning reddish then brown, (4.1–)4.5–5.8 mm, tubes shorter than funnelform throats, lobes recurved to erect, lanceolate, 1.1–1.3 mm. |
Phyllaries | in 4–6 series, linear-lanceolate, unequal, bases (tan) ± indurate in proximal 1/3–1/2, margins hyaline, erose, distally scabro-ciliolate to ciliolate, green zones covering distal 1/2, apices outer obtuse to acute, inner acuminate, purplish, faces sparsely strigillose, usually moderately to densely stipitate-glandular, rarely sparsely so. |
in 5–6 series, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate (some inner linear), unequal, bases indurate 1/3–2/3, margins scarious, erose, hyaline, sparsely ciliolate, green zones lanceolate, prominent, apices acute (acuminate), slightly spreading, faces glabrous. |
Heads | in crowded, paniculiform arrays, branches often initially patent then ascending. |
in leafy, open, paniculiform arrays, branches ascending to divaricate, nearly horizontal, elongate (to 38 cm), secund-racemiform. |
Cypselae | dark brown to black, obovoid, not compressed, 2.5–4 mm, 7–10-nerved, faces densely strigose along ribs; pappi tan to tawny, sometimes slightly purplish-tinged, 6–8 mm. |
tan to reddish brown, obovoid to fusiform-obovoid, ± compressed, 1.4–2.9 mm, 4–5-nerved, faces strigillose; pappi white (sordid), 4.5–5.8 mm. |
2n | = 20. |
= 48. |
Symphyotrichum phlogifolium |
Symphyotrichum eulae |
|
Phenology | Flowering Aug–Oct. | Flowering Oct. |
Habitat | Loamy, sandy, or gravelly soils, rich mesic mixed-hardwood forests (Appalachians), roadsides | Usually partly shaded, heavy-clayey, clayey-loamy, or silty soils, banks, open stream-bottom woods, ditches, drainage systems, disturbed areas, hedgerows |
Elevation | 0–1100 m (0–3600 ft) | 0–100 m (0–300 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; CT; DC; DE; GA; IN; KY; MA; MD; NC; NY; OH; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA; WV
|
TX |
Discussion | Symphyotrichum eulae is known only from Texas. It has been reported as a hybrid of S. lanceolatum and S. praealtum. It is not a hybrid, according to Shinners, and we are not considering it as such here. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
|
Source | FNA vol. 20, p. 490. | FNA vol. 20, p. 516. |
Parent taxa | Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Symphyotrichum > subg. Virgulus | Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Symphyotrichum > subg. Symphyotrichum > sect. Symphyotrichum |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Aster phlogifolius, Aster patens var. phlogifolius, Virgulus patens var. phlogifolius | Aster eulae |
Name authority | (Muhlenberg ex Willdenow) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 289. (1995) | (Shinners) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 281. (1995) |
Web links |