Late Purple Aster
Symphyotrichum patens (Aiton) Nesom
Late Purple Aster: https://marylandbiodiversity.com/species/4428
Synonyms
Aster patens var. gracilis  Aster patens var. patens  Aster patens var. tenuicaulis  Aster tenuicaulis 
Tags

Map Snapshot

43 Records

GAALWAFRCLMOHOBABCHACEPGAACVCHSMKEQACNTADOWISOWO

Status

The Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora lists its range and habitat as follows: "Dry-mesic to dry upland forests, woodlands, barrens, clearings, and road banks; tolerates a range of soil chemistries. Frequent to common in the mountains and Piedmont; infrequent to rare in the Coastal Plain."

Seasonality Snapshot

Resources

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Source: Wikipedia

Symphyotrichum patens
In Polkton, North Carolina

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Tribe: Astereae
Subtribe: Symphyotrichinae
Genus: Symphyotrichum
Subgenus: Symphyotrichum subg. Virgulus
Section: Symphyotrichum sect. Patentes
Species:
S. patens
Binomial name
Symphyotrichum patens
Varieties
List
Distribution of Symphyotrichum patens by state: US — Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. (POWO).
County-level distribution map of Symphyotrichum patens[4]
Synonyms[2]

Basionym

  • Aster patens Aiton
Alphabetical list

Symphyotrichum patens, commonly known as late purple aster or spreading aster, is a perennial, herbaceous plant found in the eastern United States.[4][5]

Description

[edit]

Sympyotrichum patens is a perennial and herbaceous flowering plant usually between 10 and 100 centimeters (1⁄4 and 3+1⁄4 feet) tall.[5] It has a spreading growth form, and the leaves are ovate to oblong and clasp the pubescent stem.[5][6] The flowers are relatively small, less than 3 centimeters (1+1⁄4 inches) in diameter, with light blue to violet ray florets and yellow disk florets. It flowers between August and October.[6]

  • Leaf front
  • Leaf back
  • Inflorescence
  • Involucre
  • Flower heads

Taxonomy

[edit]

The title of a review of the Symphyotrichum patens complex begins with "Another review..." as a nod to the complexity of the topic.[3] The species was first formally described and named Aster patens by Swedish botanist Jonas Carlsson Dryander and published by Scottish botanist William Aiton in 1789.[7] It was transferred to the genus Symphyotrichum in 1995 by American botanist Guy L. Nesom.[8] It is closely related to Symphyotrichum georgianum and Symphyotrichum phlogifolium.[3]

Several varieties have been named, with the basionym as Symphyotrichum patens var. patens:

Distribution and habitat

[edit]

A widely distributed species, S. patens ranges from southern Maine, south and west to eastern Texas.[4] Plants are typically found in sunny to mostly sunny sites, including open woodlands.[9]

Conservation

[edit]

As of July 2021, NatureServe listed Symphyotrichum patens as Secure (G5) worldwide and Possibly Extirpated (SX) in Maine.[1]

Citations

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  1. ^ a b NatureServe 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f POWO 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d Campbell & Seymour 2014.
  4. ^ a b c USDA 2014.
  5. ^ a b c Brouillet et al. 2006.
  6. ^ a b Missouri Botanical Garden n.d.
  7. ^ IPNI 2020a.
  8. ^ IPNI 2020b.
  9. ^ NC State Extension n.d.

References

[edit]