Symphyotrichum sericeum

(Ventenat) G. L. Nesom

Phytologia 77: 291. 1995.

Common names: Western silvery aster
Basionym: Aster sericeus Ventenat Descr. Pl. Nouv., plate 33. 1800
Synonyms: Lasallea sericea (Ventenat) Greene Virgulus sericeus (Ventenat) Reveal & Keener
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 20. Treatment on page 494. Mentioned on page 473, 483.

Perennials, (20–) 30–70 cm, cespitose, eglandular; with short, woody, cormoid caudices, or short rhizomes. Stems 1–5+, ascending to erect (thin, grayish brown to dark-brown), glabrous proximally, densely canescent distally. Leaves (silvery) firm, soft; basal withering by flowering, sessile, blades (1–3 nerved) elliptic-lanceolate, 10–40 × 5–15 mm, bases cuneate, weakly sheathing, margins usually entire, rarely remotely serrate, piloso-ciliate, apices acute, faces less copiously hairy than cauline; proximal cauline withering by flowering, sessile, blades oblanceolate or oblong to linear-lanceolate, 15–30 (–50) × 4–10 mm, slightly and progressively reduced distally, bases rounded, subclasping, margins entire, silky-pilose, apices obtuse to acute, mucronulate, faces sparsely to densely silky-pilose; distal sessile, blades lanceolate, 10–30 × 5–8 mm, little reduced distally, bases cuneate, margins entire, apices acute, mucronate, faces ± densely silky. Heads in open, paniculiform arrays, branches sparse, fastigiate, often arching (1–5+ per branch). Peduncles subsessile or 0.5–3 (–5) cm, densely sericeo-strigose, bracts crowded, 4–8 (–10) mm, grading into phyllaries. Involucres campanulate to cylindric, (5–) 7.5–10 mm. Phyllaries in 3–5 (–6) series, outer ovate with expanded distal portion [(4–) 5–6 mm], mid ovatelanceolate [6–8 (–10) mm] with expanded green portions, inner linear, unequal or sometimes subequal, outer often foliaceous, bases (mid) scarious, margins silky, green zones restricted to expanded distal 1/2–2/3 (obscured by hairs), apices (outer) spreading or squarrose to reflexed, acute, mucronulate, faces densely long-silky. Ray-florets (10–) 15–30; corollas usually rose-purple to deep purple, rarely white, laminae 8.5–11 × 1–1.5 mm. Disc-florets (15–) 25–35; corollas pink turning purple, (5–) 5.5–7 mm, tubes shorter than narrowly funnelform throats (both thinly puberulent), lobes deltate, 0.7–0.9 mm. Cypselae purple or brown, obovoid, not compressed, 2–3 mm, 7–10-nerved (prominent), faces glabrous; pappi whitish or tawny, 6–7 mm. 2n = 10, 20.


Phenology: Flowering Aug–Oct.
Habitat: Open, dry, deep, sandy or loamy soils, broken limestone outcrops, open-wooded bluffs, open woods, open calcareous hammocks, prairies, fields, sand barrens, dunes, dry banks, rarely acidic shield rocks
Elevation: 100–500+ m

Distribution

V20-1109-distribution-map.gif

Man., Ont., Ark., Ga., Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kans., Mich., Minn., Mo., Nebr., N.Dak., Ohio, Okla., S.Dak., Tenn., Tex., Wis., West Indies (Bahamas)

Discussion

Symphyotrichum sericeum is known in the Bahamas as S. lucayanum (Britton) G. L. Nesom [syn. Aster lucayanus Britton, Virgulus lucayanus (Britton) Reveal & Keener]. It is of conservation concern in Indiana, Michigan, and Canada. Symphyotrichum sericeum is distinct and unlikely to be confused with other species due to its silvery-silky leaves and phyllaries, open arrays, and cormoid rootstocks. Aster sericeus forma albiligulatus Fassett is a white form of the species, in contrast to the typically purple forma sericeus; these do not deserve formal recognition.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Symphyotrichum sericeum"
not tailed +, rounded +  and obtuse +
distinct +
long-silky +
mucronate;acute;mucronulate;obtuse;acute +
expanded +
scarious +
usually triangular +  and linear +
usually deltate +  and lanceolate +
paniculiform +  and open +
indeterminate +  and determinate +
Luc Brouillet +, John C. Semple +, Geraldine A. Allen +, Kenton L. Chambers +  and Scott D. Sundberg† +
(Ventenat) G. L. Nesom +
linear-oblanceolate;obovate;oblanceolate +
subclasping +  and clasping +
cuneate +  and rounded +
reduced +
scarious +
Aster sericeus +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
lanceolate;oblong;linear-lanceolate +
reduced +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
rugulose +  and muricate +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
barbellulate +  and barbellate +
Western silvery aster +
not 2-lipped +  and actinomorphic +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.55 cm5.5 mm <br />0.0055 m <br />) +
pink turning purple +, white +, usually rose-purple +  and deep purple +
at maturity , more or less ampliate , tubes usually shorter +
0.55 cm5.5 mm <br />0.0055 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
beaked +, 2-ribbed +  and 5-ribbed +
brown +  and purple +
not compressed +  and obovoid +
fertile +  and bisexual +
fertile +  and bisexual +
Man. +, Ont. +, Ark. +, Ga. +, Ill. +, Ind. +, Iowa +, Kans. +, Mich. +, Minn. +, Mo. +, Nebr. +, N.Dak. +, Ohio +, Okla. +, S.Dak. +, Tenn. +, Tex. +, Wis. +  and West Indies (Bahamas) +
100–500+ m +
reflexed +, squarrose +  and spreading +
glabrous +, long-silky +, silky +, silky-pilose +  and less copiously hairy +
mucronulate;acute +
expanded +
pistillate +, staminate +  and neuter +
winged +  and beaked +
dispersed +
Open, dry, deep, sandy or loamy soils, broken limestone outcrops, open-wooded bluffs, open woods, open calcareous hammocks, prairies, fields, sand barrens, dunes, dry banks, rarely acidic shield rocks +
disciform +  and radiate +
indeterminate +
heterogamous +  and homogamous +
each +  and sessile +
subequal +  and unequal +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.75 cm7.5 mm <br />0.0075 m <br />) +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (2.2 cm22 mm <br />0.022 m <br />) +
campanulate;cylindric +
0.75 cm7.5 mm <br />0.0075 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
2.4 cm24 mm <br />0.024 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
8.5mm;11mm +
1mm;1.5mm +
sessile +  and petiolate +
cauline +  and basal +
decurrent +
deltate +
entire +  and serrate +
not +  and hyaline +
silky +  and silky-pilose +
entire +, crenate +  and serrate +
ovatelanceolate +
2-carpellate +
tawny +  and whitish +
persistent +
25 +  and 40 +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
0.5-3(-5) cm +  and subsessile +
sericeo-strigose +
Flowering Aug–Oct. +
oblanceolate or spatulate +  and linear +
subequal +  and unequal +
expanded +
styliferous +, neuter +  and pistillate +
bearing subulate enations +, hairy +  and bristly +
flat;slightly convex +
exalbuminous +
branched +  and simple +
ascending +  and erect +
canescent +  and glabrous +
1 +  and 5 +
appendaged +  and truncate +
papillate +  and smooth +
Lasallea sericea +  and Virgulus sericeus +
Symphyotrichum sericeum +
Symphyotrichum subg. Virgulus +
species +
ampliate +
20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br /> (30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br />) +
stipitate-glandular +
30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br /> (70 cm700 mm <br />0.7 m <br />) +
tree +, shrub +  and subshrub +
lanceolate +  and diamond--shaped +