Symphyotrichum tenuifolium
Symphyotrichum subg. Astropolium
perennial saltmarsh American-aster, perennial saltmarsh aster
1–5+, ascending to erect (often with purple or purplish brown areas, flexuous, wiry), little-branched, usually glabrous, sometimes hairy in lines distally.
not brittle at maturity, glabrous or glabrate, sometimes sparsely hairy in leaf axils.
thick (fleshy), margins entire, faces glabrous;
basal withering by flowering (new winter rosettes appearing at flowering), petiolate (petioles sheathing), blades ovate or oblanceolate, 15–20 × 5–15 mm, bases cuneate, apices rounded;
proximal cauline withering by flowering, usually sessile, blades lanceolate, linear-lanceolate or -oblanceolate, to linear, 7–80(–150) × 1–6 (–12) mm, bases attenuate, margins entire, apices acuminate to acute;
distal sessile, blades narrowly lanceolate to subulate, 10–110 × 0.5–5 mm, apices acuminate.
basal withering by flowering, petiolate, blades 1-nerved, spatulate to ovate or obovate, margins entire or shallowly serrate or crenate;
cauline subpetiolate or sessile, blades narrowly lanceolate, linear, or subulate, bases attenuate, slightly sheathing, or ± clasping.
0.6–4 (–6) cm, bracts 2–8, awl-shaped, grading into phyllaries.
narrowly turbinate, 4.1–9.5(–11) mm.
10–25;
corollas white or pink, laminae (4.5–)5–8.5(–9.5) × 1.2–2 mm.
10–30(–54) in 1 series;
laminae (1.3–)5–8.5(–9.5) × (0.2–)1.2–2 mm.
25–45(–54);
corollas yellow becoming purplish, 3.4–6(–6.8) mm, tubes shorter than to equaling the narrowly funnelform throats (sparsely hairy at base), lobes ± erect, narrowly triangular, 0.5–0.8 mm.
sometimes weakly ampliate, throats funnelform, lobes ± erect or ± spreading.
in 4–5 series, lanceolate to subulate, bases indurate, rounded, margins hyaline, often tinged with purple, entire, green zones spatulate to oblanceolate-rhombic, apices acute, adaxial faces glabrous or minutely hairy distally.
unequal (bases indurate), green zones narrowly lanceolate, spatulate to oblanceolate-rhombic, or rhombic (faces glabrous or sparsely hairy).
(1–)3–20(–40), in open, diffuse, paniculiform arrays, branches patent.
radiate.
light brown, narrowly obovoid to fusiform, sometimes ± compressed, 1.5–4(–4.5) mm, 5–6-nerved, faces sparsely strigillose;
pappi tawny to white, 3–6.1 mm.
narrowly obovoid to fusiform, sometimes ± compressed, 5–6-nerved, sparsely strigillose or glabrate.
= 5.
Symphyotrichum tenuifolium
Symphyotrichum subg. Astropolium
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
Along the Gulf of Mexico Coast in central and northern peninsular Florida, vars. tenuifolium and aphyllum intergrade in nearly all characters (S. D. Sundberg 2004). G. L. Nesom (2005d) treated the varieties as species.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Species ca. 10 (3 in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Stems 1, rhizomes long; mid leaves (1.5–)3–6 mm wide; involucres 6–9.5(–11) mm; ray florets (12–)17–25; disc florets 25–45(–54), corollas (4–)4.7–6(–6.5) mm; cypselae 2.8–4(–4.5) mm; pappi 5–6.1 mm | var. tenuifolium |
1. Stems 1–5+ (clustered), rhizomes short; mid leaves (1–)1.5–2.7 mm wide; involucres 4.1–5.3 mm; ray florets 10–16; disc florets (10–)13–23, corollas 3.4–4.6 mm; cypselae 1.5–2(–2.5) mm; pappi 3–4.4 mm | var. aphyllum |
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