Pacific Aster growing on the Marin headlands overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Pacific Aster (Symphyotrichum chilense) A.k.a. Common California Aster. Native, perennial plant in the Asteraceae family that grows 4--10 dm (up to 39 inches) tall in disturbed soil, grassy areas, or in salt marshes near the coast. Foliage is dark green—not gray/tomentose like California Aster (Corethrogyne filaginifolia) and not sandpapery rough like Roughleaf Aster (Eurybia radulina). Leaves are oblanceolate with acute tips, and +- hairy. Leaf margins are entire to finely serrate. Stems are hairy distally and less erect than Roughleaf Aster (Eurybia radulina). Ray flowers are long and slender, 15-40, and pale violet, Disk flowers are yellow with reddish base more visible in older flowers. Per Jepson, "Phyllaries are oblong to ovate, outer green +- to base, obtuse, inner pale-margined, +- acute, green zone oblanceolate to linear." Peak bloom time: July- October.
Jepson eFlora https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=80313
Jepson eFlora Key to Symphyotrichum: https://keybase.rbg.vic.gov.au/keys/show/3527?filter_id=6520da49e1811
There are 6 Symphyotrichum species in CCo (Central Coast of CA):
Symphyotrichum chilense (Pacific Aster)
Symphyotrichum frondosum
Symphyotrichum lentum
Symphyotrichum subspicatum (Douglas' Aster)
Symphyotrichum subulatum var. parviflorum
Symphyotrichum subulatum var. squamatum
Flora of North America http://beta.floranorthamerica.org/Symphyotrichum_chilense and http://beta.floranorthamerica.org/Main_Page
Plants of Monterey County: an Illustrated Field Key, 2nd edition, Matthews and Mitchell, 2015, pp. 47-48.
Flora of Fort Ord: Monterey County, California, David Styer, 2019, p. 60.
Monterey County Wildflowers: a Field Guide, Yeager and Mitchell, 2016, p. 21.
Monterey County Wildflowers https://montereywildflowers.com/asteraceae-astermisc/
Oregon Flora https://oregonflora.org/taxa/index.php?taxon=8706
Pinckney Recreation Area
Hell, MI entrance
One female taking a break from her two juveniles that were below on deck in next obs: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/165446519
This is a strange aster, not S. lanceolatum. To confirm later
23 Sep 2015.
Giving Pond Recreation Area, Bucks Co, PA.
Female, white form.
Found on Symphyotrichum.
In addition to the flight photo, my ID is based upon the fact this female was being pursued by a very orange male.
Galls from Ericamera shrub in open area near creek. Adults emerged on May 12, 2022. Not sure of the species for this one, it's pretty common though. Specimens of the adult, pupal exuvium, and gall are available.
Wing detail (found on the ground)
Large colony of shining aster (Symphyotrichum firmum) near Mount Brydges, Ontario.
I suspect that some reports of willowleaf aster (S. praealtum) are based on misidentifications of this species. More details in my other observation.
Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada.
Amethyst aster (Symphyotrichum x amethystinum), the hybrid between heath aster (S. ericoides) and New England aster (S. novae-angliae), growing on an old railway embankment.
This is another species that I suspect has been misidentified as willowleaf aster (S. praealtum). Note the dense stem pubescence and broad, spinule-tipped phyllaries. Those features, in addition to the dark green abaxial leaf surfaces, differentiate this hybrid.
Kent County, Ontario, Canada.
Palo Duro State Park, Texas
Photo: S. Marr
I think. Hopefully I am corrected since I am a bit tired. The 2 plants were right beside each other!
Very common along the slims river. Less commonly occurring on bullion creek
Again found it very common along the slims river.
It has linear leaves somewhat clasping stems but most importantly phyllaries that are densely glandular and villous
Seems to be commonly occurring restricted to this location. Most of them are not flowering at the moment (we just saw one) but I did try to map the east side of the slims river until the glacier for @brucebennett
A pink form of frost aster (Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pilosum). Something I've never encountered before!
Amherstburg, Essex County, Ontario, Canada.
WDV 233 (to UWO).
Rare, limestone glades
Hairs on the stems and leaves are conspicuously hirsute (bristly) throughout the year. The rhizomatous growth habit of white prairie aster results in its spreading form, stems evenly scattered and firmly attached to a perennial underground rhizome system. White ray petals contrast to yellow disk flowers in each flowering head. This site lies in the steppe along the west facing slopes at the north end of Burke Park, Bozeman, Montana.
Last photo. Taken at the end of October to illustrate the stems and leaves that remain conspicuously hirsute.
Aster glabrifolius? Old field guide book I have calls it that but the name is probably out dated, any help? Symphyotrichum?
https://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?enlarge=5161+1631+2458+0066. Common in collections in this area, and keys here. It is a common species in seeps / Darlingtonia bogs above the Smith river.
ELC548 Rebord vaseux d'un méandre de la rivière à l'Oie, sous un couvert forestier assez dense. À 20 m de la Rte 132. Avec Tussilago farfara, Thalictrum pubescens et Poaceae.
Psilactis asteroides at East Dry Lake, east of White Sands, 32.385 -106.376, Otero County, New Mexico, 30 May 2014.
Went to Welder Wildlife Refuge to look for a few plants and other things (with permission from director). Tried to find a few historic plant populations, but those areas were dominated with non-native grasses. Oh well. Still had some fun finding other critters and plants! :)
MDP 565. Occasional on moister margin of road closer to creek. Phyllaries imbricate and in several series.
heads congested at tips of lateral branches, inflorescences not densely leafy; involucres 4-5 mm high; leaves oblanceolate to elliptic, margins entire or inconspicuously toothed; rays white and drying lavender and >20, stems mostly glabrous, rhizomatous perennial, phyllaries not subulate tipped, disc flowers 4-6 mm long
Observations at the Shaw Nature Reserve, A Division of the Missouri Botanical Garden