Symphyotrichum spathulatum |
Symphyotrichum foliaceum |
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western aster, western mountain aster |
alpine leafybract aster, Canby's leafybract aster, Cusick's American aster, Cusick's aster, Henderson's aster, Kootenai aster, leafy aster, leafy or leafy-bract or alpine leafybract aster, leafy-bract aster, Parry's aster |
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Habit | Perennials, 20–80 cm, colonial; long-rhizomatous. | Perennials 10–60 cm, colonial; long-rhizomatous. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Stems | 1–5+, ascending to erect, glabrous or sparsely puberulent. |
1–5+, ascending to erect, glabrous or sparsely puberulent. |
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Leaves | thin, margins entire, apices acute, faces glabrous or sparsely puberulent; basal persistent, petiolate, blades narrowly elliptic to obovate, 50–150 × 3–15 mm, attenuate, margins entire; proximal cauline sessile or subpetiolate, blades linear to narrowly elliptic, 50–150 × 2–15 mm, bases attenuate or cuneate; distal sessile, blades 30–60 × 2–10 mm, reduced distally, bases cuneate to rounded. |
thin, margins entire or sometimes serrate, apices acute to obtuse, faces usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely hairy; basal usually persistent, petiolate to subpetiolate, blades broadly elliptic to obovate, 30–200 × 8–25(–30) mm, bases attenuate, margins entire or sometimes serrate, apices acute to obtuse; proximal cauline sessile or subpetiolate, blades elliptic to obovate, 35–120 × 8–25 mm, bases attenuate or cuneate to rounded, sometimes ± clasping, apices acute; distal sessile, reduced distally, bases cuneate, apices acute. |
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Peduncles | sparsely hairy, bracts 0–3+. |
sparsely hairy, bracts 0–3, lanceolate. |
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Involucres | campanulate, 5–10 mm. |
campanulate, 6–16(–20) mm. |
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Ray florets | 15–40; corollas violet, laminae 9–15 × 1–2 mm. |
15–60; corollas violet to purple, laminae 8–18(–20) × 1–2 mm. |
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Disc florets | 30-80(–100); corollas yellow, sometimes becoming reddish, 4.5–6 mm, lobes triangular, 0.5–1 mm. |
50–150; corollas yellow, 4–7 mm, lobes triangular, 0.4–1 mm. |
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Phyllaries | in 3–5 series, narrowly oblong or linear (outer) to linear (inner), unequal, bases indurate, margins entire, green zones elliptic to lanceolate, apices usually acute, sometimes obtuse, faces glabrous or ± puberulent. |
in 4–6 series, oblanceolate or oblong (outer) to lanceolate or linear (inner), subequal or unequal (outer exceeding inner), bases outer foliaceous, inner indurate, margins entire, green zones elliptic to lanceolate, apices acute to rounded, faces glabrous or puberulent. |
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Heads | in corymbiform to paniculiform arrays, branches usually few. |
borne singly or in paniculiform arrays, branches ascending, up to 25 cm. |
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Cypselae | brown, cylindric to obovoid, not compressed, 2.5–3.5 mm, ± 4-nerved, faces hairy; pappi whitish, 5–7 mm. |
brown, cylindric to obovoid, not compressed, 2.5–4 mm, 3–4-nerved, faces hairy; pappi white to tawny, 5–8 mm. |
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Symphyotrichum spathulatum |
Symphyotrichum foliaceum |
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Distribution |
CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; NT; nw Mexico
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AK; AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC
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Discussion | Varieties 3 (3 in the flora). Symphyotrichum spathulatum is a variable species, widespread in montane regions of western North America. It hybridizes with S. bracteolatum, S. foliaceum, and S. hendersonii. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Varieties 4 (4 in the flora). Symphyotrichum foliaceum is extremely variable and is widespread in western montane coniferous forests and subalpine meadows. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 20, p. 534. | FNA vol. 20, p. 532. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Parent taxa | Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Symphyotrichum > subg. Symphyotrichum > sect. Occidentales | Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Symphyotrichum > subg. Symphyotrichum > sect. Occidentales | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Synonyms | Aster spathulatus | Aster foliaceus | ||||||||||||||||||||
Name authority | (Lindley) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 291. (1995) | (Lindley ex de Candolle) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 282. (1995) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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