Eurybia spectabilis
Eurybia avita
eastern showy aster, purple wood-aster, western showy aster
Alexander's Rock aster
1–3, erect or sometimes ascending, straight, often stout, sometimes glabrous or glabrescent, usually ± sparsely villous proximally and/or distally, proximally eglandular to ± short-stipitate-glandular, distally glandular from 1/2–2/3, short- and long-stipitate-glandular in arrays.
1–5+, erect to ascending, simple, strict, slender, stiff, proximally glabrous or glabrate, distally hirtello-puberulent.
basal and cauline, firm (reticulately veined), margins slightly revolute, indurate, entire or remotely crenulate-serrulate, scabrous, teeth indurate, apices acute (seldom basal obtuse), indurate, faces usually scabrous (especially abaxially), sometimes glabrous;
basal and proximal cauline persistent, petioles (10–90 mm) ± narrowly winged (wings wider and shorter distally), bases sometimes marcescent, blades lanceolate or elliptic to ovate- or obovate-elliptic or spatulate, 10–160 × 3–40 mm (earlier leaves smallest), bases attenuate;
mid widely winged-petiolate to subpetiolate or sessile, blades elliptic-lanceolate, ovate, or ± narrowly obovate to spatulate, oblanceolate, or lanceolate, 13–105 × (2–)5–30 mm, ± gradually reduced distally, bases attenuate or cuneate, sometimes ± clasping or sheathing (proximal);
distal (arrays) sessile, oblong or narrowly ovate to linear-lanceolate or linear, 6–40 × 1–11 mm, usually abruptly reduced, becoming ± glandular.
basal and cauline, firm, blades (1-nerved) linear to lance-linear or oblong-linear (grasslike), 25–140+ × 2–5 mm, ± coriaceous, bases sheathing, margins entire to remotely serrulate-spinose, indurate, remotely scabrous, spines thickened, apices acute, revolute, faces glabrous;
basal and proximal cauline often withering by flowering, bases marcescent, ± long-petiolate;
mid and distal progressively sessile and reduced.
sometimes sparsely villous, densely stipitate-glandular;
bracts (0–)1–3, leaflike or sometimes phyllary-like (bases rounded, membranous, indurate), sometimes immediately subtending heads, densely stipitate-glandular.
densely hirtellous;
bracts 1–2, usually immediately subtending heads.
campanulate, 7.5–14(–16) mm, ± equaling pappi.
cylindro-campanulate, 7–9 mm, shorter than pappi.
15–35;
corollas violet-purple, 12–25 × 1.6–4 mm.
8–20;
corollas bluish white to lavender or deep violet, 5–10 × 1–1.7 mm.
25–55;
corollas yellow, 5.5–7.6 mm, ± ampliate, tubes shorter than funnelform throats, lobes erect, lanceolate, 0.7–1.2 mm.
15–45;
corollas yellow, 5.5–7 mm, barely ampliate, tubes shorter than narrowly funnelform throats, lobes erect, triangular, 0.6–0.7 mm.
35–70 in 5–6 series, oblong-lanceolate to sometimes spatulate (outer) to linear-lanceolate or linear (inner), unequal, membranous or sometimes foliaceous (outer), bases indurate, rounded (outer), green zones expanded, ovate to obovate (outer, sometimes foliaceous to base) or diffusely lanceolate or none (inner), margins of membranous parts hyaline or ± purplish (inner), narrowly scarious, villoso-ciliate or long-stipitate-glandular, of foliaceous parts ± indurate, scabrous or short-stipitate-glandular, apices squarrose (outer) to ± appressed (innermost), acute to obtuse, adaxial faces long-stipitate-glandular (foliaceous parts).
30–55+ in 4–5 series, unequal, chartaceous, bases indurate, margins narrowly hyaline, scabrous, erose, fimbriate, apices appressed or reflexed, acute, sometimes acuminate (some outer), mucronate, marginally thickened, faces glabrous;
outer lance-oblong, rounded, apical zones dark green, flat;
inner linear-oblong, apical zones pale green, restricted to broadly acute tips.
(1–)3–35+ usually in open, corymbiform arrays, seldom borne singly, branches ascending, stout.
3–15+ in narrow, flat-topped corymbiform arrays.
brown, fusiform, slightly compressed, 3–4.2 mm, ribs 12–14, faces densely strigillose;
pappi of reddish-tawnish bristles 5.3–7.6 mm, ± equaling disc corollas.
tan, fusiform, ± compressed, ca. 5 mm, ribs 7–10(–12) (stramineous, broad), strigillose;
pappi of cinnamon to sordid bristles 5.5–6 mm, equaling disc corollas.
= 72.
= 18.
Eurybia spectabilis
Eurybia avita
Eurybia spectabilis is of conservation concern in much of its range, notably in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. It is an eastern coastal plains species that reaches its southern limit in Alabama and Georgia.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Of conservation concern.
Eurybia avita is known from Stone Mountain (the type location, where it is now extirpated according to R. Kral 1983, vol. 2) and granite flatrocks in Georgia, and from Pickens County in South Carolina, where it is imperiled; it is presumed extirpated from North Carolina (www.natureserve.org). Kral mapped the species; he underlined its similarities to both E. surculosa and E. paludosa and the need for further studies of its relationships.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Go Botany
MD Biodiversity
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
