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bract aster, Eaton's aster, Oregon aster

Habit Perennials, 40–100 cm, cespitose, eglandular; with cormoid, woody caudices. Perennials 40–100 cm, cespitose; short-rhizomatous.
Stems

5–10+, erect or arching (light to dark brown), proximally sparsely to moderately finely woolly-pilose (hairs spreading to ascending), more densely so distally.

1–10+, ascending to erect, glabrous or sparsely puberulent.

Leaves

(grayish) soft;

basal withering by flowering, sessile, blades (1–3-nerved) elliptic-lanceolate, 20–40 × 10–20 mm, bases attenuate, margins usually entire, rarely remotely serrate, piloso-ciliate, apices acute to obtuse, faces silvery piloso-silky;

proximal cauline withering by flowering, sessile, blades oblanceolate, 20–30 × 4–8 mm, bases rounded, subclasping, margins entire, scabrous to silky-piloso-ciliate, apices acute to obtuse, cuspidate-mucronate, faces moderately strigillose;

distal sessile, blades lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 8–15 × 2.5–5 mm, reduced distally, bases cuneate, margins entire, apices acute, mucronate, faces moderately, finely lanoso-strigose.

thin, margins entire or sometimes serrate, apices acute;

basal withering by flowering, petiolate, blades narrowly lanceolate, 60–200 × 10–20 mm, attenuate or cuneate, margins usually entire, sometimes serrate, apices acute, faces glabrous or sparsely puberulent;

proximalmost cauline sometimes withering by flowering, sessile, blades narrowly lanceolate, 50–150 × 8–25 mm, bases cuneate, often auriculate, apices acute;

distal sessile, blades linear to narrowly lanceolate, 20–120 × 3–20 mm, bases cuneate, often auriculate, apices acute.

Peduncles

densely hairy, bracts linear, grading into phyllaries.

sparsely hairy, bracts linear to lanceolate.

Involucres

campanulate, 7–9 mm.

campanulate, 5–8 mm.

Ray florets

7–12;

corollas rose-purple, laminae 6–9 × 1–2 mm.

20–40;

corollas white to pink, laminae 7–15 × 1–2 mm.

Disc florets

14–20;

corollas pink turning purple, 5–6 mm, tubes shorter than narrowly funnelform throats (thinly puberulent), lobes triangular, 0.3–0.5 mm.

35–60+;

corollas yellow, 4.5–5 mm, lobes triangular, 0.5–0.75 mm.

Phyllaries

in 3–4 series, spreading to reflexed, linear, unequal, bases (tan) ± indurate, margins scarious proximally, green distally, green zones foliaceous, apices acute, faces moderately woolly-strigose.

in 3–5 series, often spreading, oblanceolate (outer) to linear (inner), subequal, outer indurate less than 1/2, bases outer variable, inner scarious, margins entire, scabrous to ciliolate, green zones oblanceolate to elliptic, apices acute to obtuse, often spreading, faces glabrous or sparsely puberulent.

Heads

radiate, in narrow, paniculiform (wand-shaped) to sometimes compact, racemiform arrays (1(–3) per branch).

in racemiform to narrow, paniculiform arrays, branches usually to 10 cm.

Cypselae

fusiform-obovoid, not compressed, 2–3 mm, 6–8-nerved, faces densely strigose;

pappi tan to yellowish tan, (5.5–)6.5–8 mm.

brown, cylindric to obovoid, not compressed, 2.5–3.5 mm, 1–2-nerved, faces hairy;

pappi white, 5–6 mm.

2n

= 8.

= 16, 32, 48, 64.

Symphyotrichum plumosum

Symphyotrichum bracteolatum

Phenology Flowering Oct–Nov. Flowering Jul–Aug.
Habitat Deep, dry to moist, sandy soils, pine flatwoods, pine-scrub oak woods, favored by fires and clearcuts Moist to wet sunny places, wet thickets, along streams and ditches
Elevation 0–40 m (0–100 ft) 500–3100 m (1600–10200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
FL
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; SK
Discussion

Symphyotrichum plumosum is known only from Franklin County. It differs from S. concolor var. concolor in its long-acuminate, recurved to reflexed phyllaries. No intermediates with S. concolor were seen in the field.

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

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 493. FNA vol. 20, p. 531.
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. novae-angliae, S. novi-belgii, S. oblongifolium, S. ontarionis, S. oolentangiense, S. parviceps, S. patens, S. phlogifolium, S. pilosum, 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. 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. 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 plumosus, S. concolor var. plumosum Aster foliaceus var. eatonii, Aster bracteolatus, Aster eatonii
Name authority (Small) Semple: in J. C. Semple et al., Cult. Native Asters Ontario, 134. (2002) (Nuttall) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 276. (1994)
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