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pygmy aster

aster ciliolé, fringe blue aster, Lindley's American-aster, Lindley's aster, Lindley's or fringe blue aster

Habit Perennials 1.5–15 cm, cespitose; with short, branched caudices, long-rhizomatous (both wiry). Perennials, (10–)20–120 cm, colonial or cespitose; usually long-rhizomatous, sometimes with branched caudices.
Stems

1–10+, decumbent to ascending (purple), sparsely or densely villous to woolly distally.

1–3+, erect (straight to ± flexuous), glabrate to sparsely hirsute or strigillose, especially distally.

Leaves

firm, margins usually entire, sometimes remotely pauci-serrulate, sparsely villoso-ciliate, apices obtuse to acute, sometimes mucronate;

basal often withering by flowering, petiolate (petioles widely winged, sheathing), blades spatulate, 5–19 × 2–4 mm, bases attenuate, apices rounded, faces glabrous or sparsely villous proximally;

proximal sessile, blades lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate or (sometimes) -spatulate, 30–50 × 3–10 mm, bases ± clasping, apices obtuse to acute, faces glabrous or sparsely villous;

distal sessile, blades lanceolate to oblong, 13–19 × 2–4.5 mm, bases clasping to cuneate, apices acute to obtuse, faces sparsely woolly, sometimes sparsely stipitate-glandular.

thin, margins coarsely, sharply serrate to crenate-serrate or serrulate, ciliate to scabrous, apices acute or acuminate, mucronulate, abaxial faces glabrate to sparsely hirsute, midveins usually densely hirsute, sometimes glabrous, adaxial glabrous or glabrate to scabrellous;

basal usually withering by flowering (sometimes persistent on small plants), long-petiolate (petioles slightly winged, sheathing, ciliate), blades ovate, (24–)40–120(–270) × 15–70 mm, bases usually shallowly cordate, sometimes rounded;

proximal cauline often withering by flowering, winged-petiolate, blades ovate to oblanceolate or lanceolate, (24–)60–150 × (10–)20–60 mm, reduced distally, bases subcordate to cuneate;

distal sessile or sometimes subsessile (petioles widely-winged), blades lance-ovate to linear-lanceolate or linear, 18–75 × (2–)5–25 mm, bases cuneate, sometimes ± clasping, margins serrulate or entire.

Peduncles

densely villous to lanate distally, bracts 0.

0.2–1.5+ cm, unequal, reduced distally, ± hirsutulous, bracts 0–4, subulate or linear.

Involucres

hemispherico-campanulate, 9–12.5 mm.

campanulate, (4–)5–6.5 mm.

Ray florets

16–28;

corollas purple to violet, laminae 12–18 × 2–3.2 mm.

(12–)14–20;

corollas pale to deep blue or bluish purple, laminae (8.3–)10–15 × 1–2.3 mm.

Disc florets

53–55;

corollas yellow, 5.6–6.5 mm, throats funnelform, lobes triangular, 0.5–0.8 mm (red or white clavate-hairy).

14–25(–29);

corollas yellow becoming reddish purple, 4.3–6.4 mm, tubes shorter than funnelform throats, lobes narrowly triangular, 0.5–1.1 mm.

Phyllaries

in 3–4 series (dark purple), lance-oblong or oblong (outer) to linear-lanceolate or sometimes linear (inner), subequal, outer ± herbaceous, bases not indurate, margins herbaceous (outer) to narrowly scarious and erose proximally (inner), strongly purple, villoso-ciliate in green portion, green zones (inner) 1/2–2/3 of distal portions, apices acute to acuminate, inner sometimes apiculate, appressed to loose and squarrose (particularly outer), faces woolly to densely villous, sparsely to moderately stipitate-glandular.

in 4–5 series, narrowly oblong-lanceolate to oblong-oblanceolate or linear-oblanceolate (innermost), ± unequal, bases indurate 1/3–2/3, margins narrowly scarious, erose, hyaline or infrequently purplish, sparsely ciliolate, green zones lanceolate to linear-lanceolate or linear, apices acuminate to long-acuminate, faces glabrous.

Heads

borne singly.

[(6–)13–50(–100+)] in open, paniculiform arrays, branches ascending.

Cypselae

fusiform to cylindro-obconic, ± compressed, [size unknown], 4–7-nerved (faint), faces ± densely strigillose;

pappi whitish to yellowish, 5–7.2 mm.

yellowish white, obovoid, compressed, 1–2 mm, 5–6-nerved, faces glabrate to sparsely strigillose;

pappi white to pinkish, 3–6 mm.

2n

= 48.

Symphyotrichum pygmaeum

Symphyotrichum ciliolatum

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering late Jul–Oct.
Habitat Open, active, moist sand dunes, sandy or silty stream banks and terraces, usually cyclically disturbed gravelly tundra and tundra slopes Rich, open, often ± calcareous, boreal deciduous forests (aspen or aspen-birch-fir-spruce), edges of woods, clearings, aspen or bur oak thickets, sometimes open pine forests, streambanks, trails, roadsides
Elevation 0–200+ m (0–700+ ft) 0–2000+ m (0–6600+ ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; NT; NU
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
IL; MA; ME; MI; MN; MT; ND; NH; NY; SD; VT; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; ON; QC; SK; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Symphyotrichum pygmaeum has long been included within or associated with Eurybia sibirica. Though similar in appearance, the two species can be distinguished by the glands present on S. pygmaeum on the distal leaves and phyllaries.

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

Symphyotrichum ciliolatum sporadically hybridizes with S. laeve var. laeve or var. geyeri in their areas of overlap, notably across the Canadian prairies and in south-central Ontario (Manitoulin Island, Bruce Peninsula). It also hybridizes with S. novi-belgii var. novi-belgii in the Gulf of St. Lawrence area [Symphyotrichum ×subgeminatum (Fernald) G. L. Nesom; syn. Aster subgeminatus (Fernald) B. Boivin]. Aster ciliolatus forma comatus Fernald is densely ciliolate along the midnerves and represents an extreme of the variation found in the species.

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

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 485. FNA vol. 20, p. 502.
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. phlogifolium, S. pilosum, S. plumosum, S. porteri, S. potosinum, S. praealtum, S. pratense, S. prenanthoides, S. priceae, S. puniceum, 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. 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 pygmaeus, Aster sibiricus subsp. pygmaeus, Aster sibiricus var. pygmaeus, Eurybia pygmaea Aster ciliolatus, Aster ciliolatus var. comatus, Aster lindleyanus, Aster wilsonii
Name authority (Lindley) Brouillet & S. Selliah: Sida 21: 1635. (2005) (Lindley) Á. Löve & D. Löve: Taxon 31: 359. (1982)
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