The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

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
from FNA
AL; CT; DC; DE; GA; IN; KY; MA; MD; NC; NY; OH; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
TX
[BONAP county map]
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
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. novae-angliae, S. novi-belgii, S. oblongifolium, S. ontarionis, S. oolentangiense, S. parviceps, S. patens, 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. depauperatum, S. drummondii, S. dumosum, S. elliottii, S. ericoides, 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 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