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western aster, western mountain aster

alkali aster, leafy annual American-aster, short-ray alkali aster, short-ray aster

Habit Perennials, 20–80 cm, colonial; long-rhizomatous. Annuals or sometimes perennials, 5–140 cm.
Stems

1–5+, ascending to erect, glabrous or sparsely puberulent.

1–6+, decumbent to erect (straight), glabrous.

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 (basal sometimes serrulate), sometimes ciliate or remotely scabrous, acute to ± obtuse, faces glabrous;

basal withering by flowering, petiolate, blades oblanceolate to spatulate, 20–115 × 2–15 mm [cult.], bases attenuate;

proximal cauline withering by flowering;

cauline subpetiolate or sessile (distal), blades oblanceolate to linear, 10–80 × 1.5–10 mm, reduced distally, bases cuneate.

Peduncles

sparsely hairy, bracts 0–3+.

glabrous, bracts linear.

Involucres

campanulate, 5–10 mm.

narrowly campanulate, 5–9 mm.

Ray florets

15–40;

corollas violet, laminae 9–15 × 1–2 mm.

90–110 in 4–5+ series;

corollas pink to pinkish white, laminae 1.5–2 × 0.1–0.2 mm (surpassing style branches, barely surpassing disc corollas; tubes ± 3 mm).

Disc florets

30-80(–100);

corollas yellow, sometimes becoming reddish, 4.5–6 mm, lobes triangular, 0.5–1 mm.

± 37;

corollas yellow, 4.4–5.2 mm, barely ampliate, tubes much longer than cylindric limbs, lobes lanceolate, ± 0.3 mm.

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 3–4 series, ± spreading, oblong-oblanceolate or -lanceolate to obovate, subequal to ± unequal, linear-lanceolate or linear (innermost), bases scarious, margins narrowly scarious, hyaline, erose, ciliolate, green zones (outer) foliaceous, (inner) lanceolate, apices obtuse to rounded, inner acute, mucronulate, faces glabrous.

Heads

in corymbiform to paniculiform arrays, branches usually few.

(radiate) in narrow, paniculiform to spiciform arrays, branches often in axils of nearly every leaf, ascending.

Cypselae

brown, cylindric to obovoid, not compressed, 2.5–3.5 mm, ± 4-nerved, faces hairy;

pappi whitish, 5–7 mm.

tan, obovoid, ± compressed, 2 mm, 2–3-nerved, faces strigillose;

pappi white to yellowish, 6.3–7.5 mm.

2n

= 14.

Symphyotrichum spathulatum

Symphyotrichum frondosum

Phenology Flowering Aug–Oct.
Habitat Moist, usually saline soils, summer-receding shores of lakes or ponds, vernally moist, alkaline bottoms, marshes, often in steppes
Elevation 10–2200 m (0–7200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; NT; nw Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; BC; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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.)

Key
1. Leaves linear
var. yosemitanum
1. Leaves narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate
→ 2
2. Plants 40–80 cm; heads usually 10–50
var. intermedium
2. Plants 20–50(–60) cm; head usually 3–10
var. spathulatum
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 534. FNA vol. 20, p. 499.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Symphyotrichum > subg. Symphyotrichum > sect. Occidentales Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Symphyotrichum > subg. Symphyotrichum > sect. Conyzopsis
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. pygmaeum, S. racemosum, S. retroflexum, S. rhiannon, S. robynsianum, S. sericeum, S. shortii, S. simmondsii, 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. eulae, S. falcatum, S. fendleri, S. firmum, S. foliaceum, S. fontinale, 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
Subordinate taxa
S. spathulatum var. intermedium, S. spathulatum var. spathulatum, S. spathulatum var. yosemitanum
Synonyms Aster spathulatus Tripolium frondosum, Aster frondosus, Brachyactis frondosa
Name authority (Lindley) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 291. (1995) (Nuttall) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 282. (1995)
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