Symphyotrichum laeve

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use shortened footnotes Template:Use American English Template:Speciesbox 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,Template:Sfn smooth aster,Template:Sfn smooth-leaved aster, glaucous Michaelmas-daisyTemplate:Sfn and glaucous aster.Template:Sfn

Description

Smooth aster is tall.Template:Sfn Its leaves are arranged alternately on the stems, and their shape varies among lanceolate, oblong-ovate, oblong-obovate, and ovate.Template:Sfn They measure from long and from wide. They are usually hairless, and the leaf edges are entire or bluntly or sharply toothed (crenate or serrate), sometimes with smaller teeth (serrulate).Template:Sfn

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The flower heads are arranged in clusters (panicles). Each flower head has 13 to 23 ray florets with pale to dark blue or purple petals (laminae), and 19 to 33 disc florets that start out yellow and eventually turn purplish-red.Template:Sfn The whole flowerhead measures across.Template:Sfn

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The seeds are cypselae with pappi (bristles at their tips).Template:Sfn Like the hairs on dandelion seeds, the pappi allow the seeds to be spread by the wind.Template:Sfn

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Taxonomy

There are four varieties: Symphyotrichum laeve var. laeve, S. laeve var. geyeri (Geyer's asterTemplate:Sfn), S. laeve var. concinnum, and S. laeve var. purpuratum.Template:Sfn

Hybrids with this species and others of the genus have been reported, including three named as follows:Template:Sfn

• Symphyotrichum × gravesii between S. laeve var. laeve and S. dumosum;
• Symphyotrichum × versicolor between S. laeve var. laeve and S. novi-belgii var. novi-belgii; and,
• Symphyotrichum × woldenii between S. laeve var. laeve and S. praealtum, which instead may be between S. oolentangiense and S. praealtum.

• Symphyotrichum × gravesii
  Symphyotrichum × gravesii
• Symphyotrichum × versicolor
  Symphyotrichum × versicolor
• Symphyotrichum × woldenii
  Symphyotrichum × woldenii

Distribution and habitat

Symphyotrichum laeve varieties are native to Canada, the United States,Template:Sfn and Coahuila (Mexico).Template:Sfn The species is introduced in Québec and New Brunswick.Template:Sfn

S. laeve grows in fields, open woods, and along roadsidesTemplate:Sfn in rocky or dry soil and full sun.Template:Sfn

Ecology

Symphyotrichum laeve blooms in late summer and early fall. It is pollinated by many native beesTemplate:Sfn and attracts butterflies.Template:Sfn It is a larval host for the pearl crescent butterfly (Phyciodes tharos).Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

References

• Template:Cite eFloras
• Template:Cite BSBI 2007
• Template:Cite Illinois Wildflowers
• Template:Cite PLANTS

External links

• Astereae Lab - University of Waterloo
• Ontario Wildflowers