View source for Symphyotrichum laeve

{{Short description|Species of flowering plant in family Asteraceae}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Use shortened footnotes|date=July 2021}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2021}}
{{Speciesbox
| image             = Symphyotrichum laeve 93797924 (cropped).jpg
| range_map         = Symphyotrichum laeve distribution.png
| range_map_alt     = Symphyotrichum laeve native distribution map: Canada — Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Ontario, Québec, Saskatchewan, and Yukon; Mexico — Coahuila; US — Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
| range_map_caption = North American distribution{{sfn|POWO|2019}}{{sfn|Brouillet|Semple|Allen|Chambers|2006|loc=var. ''geyeri''}}{{sfn|Brouillet|Desmet|Coursol|Meades|2020}}
| status            = {{TNCStatus}}
| status_system     = TNC
| status_ref        = {{sfn|NatureServe|2021}}
| subdivision_ranks = [[Variety (botany)|Varieties]]
| subdivision_ref   = {{sfn|POWO|2019}}
| subdivision       = 
*''S. laeve'' var. ''laeve''
*''S. laeve'' var. ''concinnum'' {{small|([[Carl Ludwig Willdenow|Willd.]]) [[Guy L. Nesom|G.L.Nesom]]}}
*''S. laeve'' var. ''geyeri'' {{small|([[Asa Gray|A.Gray]]) G.L.Nesom}}
*''S. laeve'' var. ''purpuratum'' {{small|([[Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck|Nees]]) G.L.Nesom}}
| display_parents   = 5
| parent            = Symphyotrichum sect. Symphyotrichum
| taxon             = Symphyotrichum laeve
| authority         = ([[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]) [[Áskell Löve|Á.Löve]] & [[Doris Löve|D.Löve]]{{sfn|POWO|2019}}
| synonyms_ref      = {{sfn|POWO|2019}}
| synonyms          = 
'''Basionym'''<br/>
*''Aster laevis'' {{small|[[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]}}
{{Collapsible list|title=Alphabetical list
|{{Species list
 |Aster amplexicaulis|[[Gotthilf Heinrich Ernst Muhlenberg|Muhl.]] ex [[Carl Ludwig Willdenow|Willd.]]
 |Aster autranii|[[George Edward Post|Post]]
 |Aster bupleurifolius|[[Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck|Nees]]
 |Aster cyaneus|[[Georg Franz Hoffmann|Hoffm.]]
 |Aster decorus|[[René Louiche Desfontaines|Desf.]] ex [[Augustin Pyramus de Candolle|DC.]]
 |Aster expansus|Nees
 |Aster falcidens|[[Edward Sandford Burgess|E.S.Burgess]]
 |Aster glaucescens|[[Georg Wilhelm Franz Wenderoth|Wender.]] ex Nees
 |Aster glaucus|Nees
 |Aster laevigatus|[[William Jackson Hooker|Hook.]]   
 |Aster laevis var. abbreviatus|[[Joël Lunell|Lunell]]
 |Aster laevis f. amplifolius|([[Thomas Conrad Porter|Porter]]) [[Merritt Lyndon Fernald|Fernald]]
 |Aster laevis var. amplifolius|Porter
 |Aster laevis f. beckwithiae|[[Homer Doliver House|House]]
 |Aster laevis var. cyaneus|(Hoffm.) [[John Torrey|Torr.]]
 |Aster laevis var. falcatus|[[Oliver Atkins Farwell|Farw.]]
 |Aster laevis f. falcatus|(Farw.) [[Frank Conkling Seymour|F.Seym.]]
 |Aster laevis f. latifolius|(Porter) [[Lloyd Herbert Shinners|Shinners]]
 |Aster laevis var. latifolius|Porter
 |Aster laevis var. panduratus|Farw.
 |Aster laevis f. purpurascens|Farw.
 |Aster laevis var. simplex|[[Theodore Dru Alison Cockerell|Cockerell]]
 |Aster laevis var. sourisensis|Lunell
 |Aster laevis var. strictiflorus|[[George Everett Osterhout|Osterh.]]
 |Aster laevis var. thyrsoideus|Farw.
 |Aster laevis var. undulatifolius|Lunell
 |Aster lucidus|[[John Claudius Loudon|Loudon]]
 |Aster pensilvanicus|[[Jean Louis Marie Poiret|Poir.]]
 |Aster pickettianus|[[Wilhelm Nikolaus Suksdorf|Suksd.]]
 |Aster politus|Nees
 |Aster rubricaulis|[[Jean-Baptiste Lamarck|Lam.]]
 |Aster steeleorum|Shinners
 |Diplactis cyanea|[[Constantine Samuel Rafinesque|Raf.]]
 }}
}}
}}
'''''Symphyotrichum laeve''''' (formerly ''Aster laevis'') is a [[flowering plant]] native to [[Canada]], the [[United States]], and [[Coahuila]] ([[Mexico]]). It has the common names of '''smooth blue aster''',{{sfn|USDA |2014}} '''smooth aster''',{{sfn|Brouillet|Desmet|Coursol|Meades|2020}} '''smooth-leaved aster''', '''glaucous Michaelmas-daisy'''{{sfn|BSBI|2007}} and '''glaucous aster'''.{{sfn|Brouillet|Desmet|Coursol|Meades|2020}}

==Description==
Smooth aster is {{convert|20|to|70|cm|in|0|abbr=off|sp=us}} tall.{{sfn|Brouillet|Semple|Allen|Chambers|2006}} Its leaves are arranged alternately on the stems, and their shape varies among [[lanceolate]], [[Oblong (botany)|oblong]]-[[Glossary of leaf morphology#ovate|ovate]], oblong-[[obovate]], and ovate.{{sfn|Hilty|2016}} They measure from {{convert|3|to|20|cm|in|0|abbr=off|sp=us}} long and from {{convert|1|to|2.5|cm|in|abbr=on|frac=8}} wide. They are usually hairless, and the leaf edges are [[Entire (botany)|entire]] or bluntly or sharply toothed ([[crenate]] or [[serrate]]), sometimes with smaller teeth ([[serrulate]]).{{sfn|Brouillet|Semple|Allen|Chambers|2006}}

<gallery heights=150px>
Symphyotrichum laeve 44271027.jpg
Symphyotrichum laeve 50344044.jpg
</gallery>

The [[flower head]]s are arranged in clusters ([[panicle]]s). Each flower head has 13 to 23 [[ray floret]]s with pale to dark blue or purple petals ([[Lamina (botany)|laminae]]), and 19 to 33 [[disc floret]]s that start out yellow and eventually turn purplish-red.{{sfn|Brouillet|Semple|Allen|Chambers|2006}} The whole flowerhead measures {{convert|1/2|to|1|in|mm|sp=us|order=flip}} across.{{sfn|Hilty|2016}}

<gallery heights=150px>
Symphyotrichum laeve 105736406.jpg
Symphyotrichum laeve 145337525.jpg
Symphyotrichum laeve 38098561.jpg
</gallery>

The seeds are [[Cypsela (botany)|cypselae]] with [[Pappus (botany)|pappi]] (bristles at their tips).{{sfn|Brouillet|Semple|Allen|Chambers|2006}} Like the hairs on dandelion seeds, the pappi allow the seeds to be spread by the wind.{{sfn|Hilty|2016}}

<gallery heights=150px>
Symphyotrichum laeve 34324805.jpg
</gallery>

==Taxonomy==
There are four [[Variety (botany)|varieties]]: ''Symphyotrichum laeve'' var. ''laeve'', ''S. laeve'' var. ''geyeri'' ('''Geyer's aster'''{{sfn|Brouillet|Semple|Allen|Chambers|2006|loc=var. ''geyeri''}}), ''S. laeve'' var. ''concinnum'', and ''S. laeve'' var. ''purpuratum''.{{sfn|Brouillet|Semple|Allen|Chambers|2006}}

Hybrids with this species and others of the genus have been reported, including three named as follows:{{sfn|Brouillet|Semple|Allen|Chambers|2006|loc=var. ''laeve''}}
* ''Symphyotrichum'' × ''gravesii'' between ''S. laeve'' var. ''laeve'' and ''[[Symphyotrichum dumosum|S. dumosum]]'';
* ''Symphyotrichum'' × ''versicolor'' between ''S. laeve'' var. ''laeve'' and [[Symphyotrichum novi-belgii|''S. novi-belgii'' var. ''novi-belgii'']]; and,
* ''Symphyotrichum'' × ''woldenii'' between ''S. laeve'' var. ''laeve'' and ''[[Symphyotrichum praealtum|S. praealtum]]'', which instead may be between ''[[Symphyotrichum oolentangiense|S. oolentangiense]]'' and ''S. praealtum''.

<gallery heights=120px widths=120px>
Aster gravesii (Symphyotrichum x gravesii) specimen (cropped).jpg | ''Symphyotrichum'' × ''gravesii''
Symphyotrichum x versicolor specimen (cropped).jpg | ''Symphyotrichum'' × ''versicolor''
Aster woldenii isotype (inflorescence).jpg | ''Symphyotrichum'' × ''woldenii''
</gallery>
{{Clear}}
{{Collapsible list
| title = {{Big|Species classifications}}
| expand = 
|{{Symphyotrichum cladogram}}
}}
{{Indent|0}}
{{Clear}}

== Distribution and habitat ==
''Symphyotrichum laeve'' varieties are native to [[Canada]], the [[United States]],{{sfn|POWO|2019}} and [[Coahuila]] ([[Mexico]]).{{sfn|Brouillet|Semple|Allen|Chambers|2006|loc=var. ''geyeri''}} The species is introduced in [[Québec]] and [[New Brunswick]].{{sfn|Brouillet|Desmet|Coursol|Meades|2020}}

''S. laeve'' grows in fields, open woods, and along roadsides{{sfn|TWC Staff|2017}} in rocky or dry soil and full sun.{{sfn|Missouri Botanical Garden|n.d.}}

== Ecology ==
''Symphyotrichum laeve'' blooms in late summer and early fall. It is pollinated by many native bees{{sfn|TWC Staff|2017}} and attracts butterflies.{{sfn|Missouri Botanical Garden|n.d.}} It is a larval host for the [[pearl crescent]] butterfly (''Phyciodes tharos'').{{sfn|Evergreen|2014}}{{sfn|Hilty|2016}}

==Conservation==

== Citations ==
{{Reflist|20em}}

== References ==
{{refbegin}}
*{{Cite web 
| last1        = Brouillet  | first1 = L.   | author-link1 = Luc Brouillet
| last2        = Desmet     | first2 = P.   <!-- Peter Desmet -->
| last3        = Coursol    | first3 = F.   <!-- F. Coursol -->
| last4        = Meades     | first4 = S.J. <!-- Susan Meades -->
| last5        = Favreau    | first5 = M.   <!-- Marc Favreau -->
| last6        = Anions     | first6 = M.   <!-- Marilyn Anions -->
| last7        = Bélisle    | first7 = P.   <!-- Pierre Bélisle -->
| last8        = Gendreau   | first8 = C.   <!-- Christian Gendreau -->
| last9        = Shorthouse | first9 = D.   <!-- D. Shorthouse -->
| date         = 4 September 2020 
| title        = ''Symphyotrichum laeve'' (Linnaeus) Á. Löve & D. Löve 
| url          = https://data.canadensys.net/vascan/taxon/3545/
| website      = data.canadensys.net
| publisher    = Database of Vascular Plants of Canada (VASCAN)
| language     = en
| access-date  = 14 September 2021
}}
*{{Cite eFloras
| 1
| 250005045
| Symphyotrichum laeve
| volume      = 20
| tribe       = Astereae
| date        = 2006
| last1       = Brouillet | first1 = L.   | author-link1 = Luc Brouillet
| last2       = Semple    | first2 = J.C. | author-link2 = John C. Semple
| last3       = Allen     | first3 = G.A. | author-link3 = Geraldine A. Allen
| last4       = Chambers  | first4 = K.L. | author-link4 = Kenton Lee Chambers
| last5       = Sundberg  | first5 = S.D. | author-link5 = Scott D. Sundberg
| language    = en
| access-date = 14 September 2021
}}
*{{Cite BSBI 2007
| last1       = BSBI
| date        = 2007
| access-date = 17 October 2014
}}
*{{Cite web
| author1      = Evergreen
| date         = 2014
| title        = Plant Detail: ''Symphyotrichum laeve'' (smooth blue aster, smooth aster)
| url          = https://nativeplants.evergreen.ca/search/view-plant.php?ID=00125
| website      = Native Plant Database (nativeplants.evergreen.ca)
| publisher    = Evergreen
| location     = Toronto, Ontario
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20170202054041/https://nativeplants.evergreen.ca/search/view-plant.php?ID=00125 
| archive-date = 2 February 2017
| language     = en
| access-date  = 27 January 2017
}}
*{{Cite Illinois Wildflowers
| prairie/plantx/sm_asterx
| Smooth Blue Aster (''Symphyotrichum laeve'')
| date        = 2016
| first1      = J.
| ref         = {{SfnRef|Hilty|2016}}
| website     = Illinois Wildflowers (www.illinoiswildflowers.info)
| access-date = 30 September 2016
}}
*{{Cite web
| author1      = Missouri Botanical Garden | author-link1 = Missouri Botanical Garden
| year         = n.d.
| title        = ''Symphyotrichum laeve'' - Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder
| url          = http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=g420
| website      = www.missouribotanicalgarden.org
| location     = St. Louis
| language     = en
| access-date  = 27 January 2017
}}
*{{Cite web
| author1      = NatureServe | author-link1 = NatureServe
| date         = 2 July 2021
| title        = ''Symphyotrichum laeve'' Smooth Blue Aster 
| url          = https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.151439/Symphyotrichum_laeve
| website      = explorer.natureserve.org
| location     = Arlington, Virginia
| language     = en
| access-date  = 17 July 2021
}}
*{{Cite web 
| author1     = POWO | author-link1 = Plants of the World Online
| date        = 2019
| title       = ''Symphyotrichum laeve'' (L.) Á.Löve & D.Löve
| url         = https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:247114-2
| website     = powo.science.kew.org
| publisher   = [[Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew]]
| language     = en
| access-date = 17 July 2021
}}
*{{Cite web
| author1     = TWC Staff
| date        = 2017
| title       = ''Symphyotrichum laeve''
| url         = https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SYLA3
| website     = Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (www.wildflower.org)
| publisher   = University of Texas at Austin
| language     = en
| access-date = 27 January 2017
}}
*{{Cite PLANTS|ref = {{sfnRef|USDA|2014}}
| date        = 2014
| id          = SYLA3
| taxon       = Symphyotrichum laeve
| language     = en
| access-date = 6 December 2015
}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
<!-- AmericanMidlandNaturalist159:251. -->
* [https://uwaterloo.ca/astereae-lab/ Astereae Lab - University of Waterloo]
* [http://ontariowildflowers.com/main/species.php?id=16 Ontario Wildflowers]

{{Taxonbar|from1=Q544417|from2=Q21871635|from3=Q24691681|from4=Q24691678|from5=Q24691680|from6=Q24691682}}

[[Category:Symphyotrichum|laeve]]
[[Category:Flora of Western Canada]]
[[Category:Flora of Ontario]]
[[Category:Flora of Yukon]]
[[Category:Flora of the United States]]
[[Category:Plants used in traditional Native American medicine]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1753]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]