Symphyotrichum spathulatum |
Symphyotrichum spathulatum var. spathulatum |
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western aster, western mountain aster |
western aster, western mountain aster |
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Habit | Perennials, 20–80 cm, colonial; long-rhizomatous. | Plants 20–50(–60) cm. | ||||||||
Stems | 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. |
narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate. |
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Peduncles | sparsely hairy, bracts 0–3+. |
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Involucres | campanulate, 5–10 mm. |
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Ray florets | 15–40; corollas violet, laminae 9–15 × 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. |
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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. |
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Heads | in corymbiform to paniculiform arrays, branches usually few. |
3–10(–20). |
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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. |
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2n | = 16, 32, 48, 64. |
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Symphyotrichum spathulatum |
Symphyotrichum spathulatum var. spathulatum |
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Phenology | Flowering Jul–Aug. | |||||||||
Habitat | Montane meadows, open aspen and coniferous forests | |||||||||
Elevation | (100–)1200–2900 m ((300–)3900–9500 ft) | |||||||||
Distribution |
CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; NT; nw Mexico
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CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; NT; Mexico (Baja California) |
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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.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 20, p. 534. | FNA vol. 20, p. 535. | ||||||||
Parent taxa | Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Symphyotrichum > subg. Symphyotrichum > sect. Occidentales | Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Symphyotrichum > subg. Symphyotrichum > sect. Occidentales > Symphyotrichum spathulatum | ||||||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||||||
Synonyms | Aster spathulatus | Aster occidentalis | ||||||||
Name authority | (Lindley) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 291. (1995) | unknown | ||||||||
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