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Schreber's aster, Schreber's wood-aster

showy aster, showy wood-aster, western showy aster

Habit Plants (20–)40–110 cm, in ± dense clones (with sterile rosettes on short rhizomeds); rhizomes branched, long. Plants 30–100 cm; forming loose clones, short-stipitate-glandular; rhizomes long to short, woody.
Stems

1, erect, simple, straight, proximally glabrous or sparsely villous, distally densely villous.

1, erect, seldom branched proximally, stout, proximally glabrate to villous and sparsely glandular (sometimes to base), distally glabrate, strongly glandular.

Leaves

basal and cauline, margins coarsely serrate (proximal) to serrate (distal), strigoso-ciliate, teeth (15–30 per side) mucronulate, apices acuminate, abaxial faces sparsely strigose, long-stipitate-glandular on veins, adaxial sparsely villous, more densely so on veins;

basal withering by flowering, petiolate (55–180 mm), bases sheathing, blades broadly ovate, 55–110 × 48–95 mm, bases cordate (with mostly deep, rectangular sinuses);

cauline petiolate to (distal) subsessile, petioles (4–100 mm) ± winged, ± clasping, blades ovate to broadly lanceolate, 27–135 × 7–112 mm, bases cordate (sinuses narrower) to rounded or cuneate-rounded;

distal (arrays) sessile, ovate to lanceolate, 6–70 × 1–27 mm.

cauline, thick, ample, bases clasping, margins ± revolute, sharply serrate (rarely subentire) with ± mucronate teeth, veins prominent, apices acute to acuminate, mucronate, faces scabrous, adaxial veins villous;

proximal cauline deciduous by flowering, winged-subpetiolate to sessile, blades oblanceolate to ovate or obovate, smaller than mid, bases tapering;

mid usually sessile, sometimes subsessile, obovate or elliptic, (40–)58–140(–180) × (8–)20–50(–80) mm, bases cuneate to mostly rounded-subauriculate;

distal (in arrays) sessile, ovate to oblanceolate, lanceolate, or elliptic, (8–)10–60(–90) × 2–28(–40) mm, strongly reduced distally.

Peduncles

sparsely to moderately villous, sparsely glandular;

bracts 0–1, linear.

sometimes sparsely hairy, stipitate-glandular;

bracts usually 0, sometimes 1–3.

Involucres

cylindro-campanulate, 5.5–7.5 mm, equal to or shorter than pappi.

campanulate, 9–12 mm, shorter than pappi.

Ray florets

6–12;

corollas white, 10.5–13 × 1.5–2.1 mm.

12–35;

corollas blue or violet, (8–)10–15 × 1.2–2 mm.

Disc florets

12–20(–30);

corollas yellow, 5–6.8 mm, slightly ampliate, tubes (3.2–3.8 mm) longer than campanulate throats (1.1–1.9 mm), lobes erect to slightly spreading, lanceolate, (0.9–)1.1–1.5(–1.9) mm.

48–55;

corollas yellow, 9–10 mm, slightly ampliate, tubes narrowly cylindric, slightly longer than narrowly funnelform throats, lobes erect, lanceolate, 0.7–1.3 mm.

Phyllaries

23–32 in 4–5 series, oblong (outer) to lanceolate (inner), strongly unequal, bases indurate, dark green zones in distal 1/4 or less (outer), often confined to narrow strip along midnerves or none (inner), margins narrowly scarious, densely villoso-ciliate, apices ± loose, obtuse to rounded, faces glabrous or sparsely villosulous, sometimes sparsely stipitate-glandular.

34–55 in 4–5 series, midnerves translucent, strongly unequal, membranous, bases indurate, dark green distally, margins densely ciliate, apices spreading or ± squarrose, purple (mucro), acute or acuminate (sometimes mucronate), faces glabrous, densely stipitate-glandular;

outer ovate or lanceolate;

inner oblong-lanceolate, margins hyaline, often purplish distally, scarious.

Heads

15–100+ in flat-topped, corymbiform arrays.

5–50 in open corymbiform arrays.

Cypselae

brown, fusiform to cylindro-obconic, compressed, 3.2–3.7 mm, ribs 6–12, faces glabrous or sparsely strigillose;

pappi of (65–70) orangish to burnt orange (fine, barbellulate, sometimes apically clavellate) bristles 5–6.8 mm, ± equaling disc corolla.

tan, fusiform, ± compressed, 3–4 mm, ribs 8–10, appressed-setose;

pappi of cinnamon to pinkish bristles 9–10 mm, about as long as disc corollas.

2n

= 54.

= ca. 108, ca. 122.

Eurybia schreberi

Eurybia conspicua

Phenology Flowering late summer–early fall. Flowering summer–fall.
Habitat Damp to mesic deciduous (maple, elm, oak), mixed woods, thickets, shaded roadbanks Open, mesic conifer (spruce-fir, pine, or aspen-conifer) or aspen woods, from foothills to upper montane zone, mesic to dry meadows, forest openings, in somewhat clayey soils, adapted to spring fires
Elevation 0–1200 m (0–3900 ft) 300–2500 m (1000–8200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CT; DE; IA; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; ON [Introduced in Europe (Scotland)]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ID; MT; OR; SD; WA; WY; AB; BC; MB; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Eurybia schreberi is rare or extirpated in a many states at the northern limit of its range.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Eurybia conspicua is a western boreo-montane taxon; it ranges from the Interior Mountains and Plateaus to the Rocky Mountains, and spreads onto the northern Great Plains in the aspen parklands-southern boreal forests of Canada, barely into western Manitoba. It is disjunct to the Black Hills (South Dakota) and Cypress Hills (Alberta-Saskatchewan). It stops at the Canadian Shield due to soil preferences (A. J. Breitung 1988). This taxon has the highest chromosome number in the genus.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 375. FNA vol. 20, p. 368.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Eurybia Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Eurybia
Sibling taxa
E. avita, E. chlorolepis, E. compacta, E. conspicua, E. divaricata, E. eryngiifolia, E. furcata, E. hemispherica, E. integrifolia, E. jonesiae, E. macrophylla, E. merita, E. mirabilis, E. paludosa, E. radula, E. radulina, E. saxicastelli, E. sibirica, E. spectabilis, E. spinulosa, E. surculosa, E. ×herveyi
E. avita, E. chlorolepis, E. compacta, E. divaricata, E. eryngiifolia, E. furcata, E. hemispherica, E. integrifolia, E. jonesiae, E. macrophylla, E. merita, E. mirabilis, E. paludosa, E. radula, E. radulina, E. saxicastelli, E. schreberi, E. sibirica, E. spectabilis, E. spinulosa, E. surculosa, E. ×herveyi
Synonyms Aster schreberi, Biotia glomerata, Biotia schreberi, E. glomerata Aster conspicuus
Name authority (Nees) Nees: Gen. Sp. Aster., 137. (1832) (Lindley) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 77: 259. (1995)
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