''Symphyotrichum campestre'' (formerly ''Aster campestris'') is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

of the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...

commonly known as western meadow aster. It is

native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...

to much of western

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

where it grows in many habitats, generally at some elevation.

Description

''Symphyotrichum campestre'' is a

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

herbaceous plant Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition o ...

growing to a maximum height near from a long

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and Shoot (botany), shoots from its Node (botany), nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from ...

. The brown stems, leaves, and some parts of the

flower heads A pseudanthium (; : pseudanthia) is an inflorescence that resembles a flower. The word is sometimes used for other structures that are neither a true flower nor a true inflorescence. Examples of pseudanthia include flower heads, composite flowers ...

are covered with tiny glands on tiny stalks called " stipitate glands". The leaves can be long depending on their location on the plant, and linear to oval in shape. The

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

holds several flower heads containing many violet

ray floret Asteraceae () is a large family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchidaceae, and which is the larger fam ...

s around a center of yellow

disc floret Asteraceae () is a large family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchidaceae, and which is the larger fa ...

s. The fruit is a hairy cypsela. Symphyotrichum campestre 48592238022.jpg, alt=refer to caption, ''S. campestre'' in Idaho Symphyotrichum campestre 48592221767.jpg, alt=refer to caption, ''S. campestre'' involucre

Distribution and habitat

The natural range of ''Symphyotrichum campestre'' extends much of the western United States and into parts of western Canada. It grows in states and provinces of the Cascadia bioregion in Alberta, British Columbia, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and the western portion of Montana. Its range extends south in the mountainous areas of Nevada and California as far south as

San Luis Obispo County San Luis Obispo County (), officially the County of San Luis Obispo, is a county on the Central Coast of California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 282,424. The county seat is San Luis Obispo. Junípero Serra fou ...

. In the Rocky Mountain States, it can be found in many parts of Wyoming, three northern mountain counties of Colorado, and in a disjunct population in just two counties in New Mexico. Its habitat is at elevations of between , often in dry and rocky soils.

Conservation

NatureServe NatureServe, Inc. is a non-profit organization based in Arlington County, Virginia, United States, US, that provides proprietary wildlife conservation-related data, tools, and services to private and government clients, partner organizations, and ...

listed ''Symphyotrichum campestre'' as Secure (G5) worldwide, Vulnerable (S3) in Alberta and Wyoming, and Imperiled (S2) in Nevada. Its global status was last reviewed on 19 October 2019.

Citations

References

* * * *

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from1=Q7661724, from2=Q38781908 campestre Flora of Western Canada Flora of the Northwestern United States Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora of the Rocky Mountains Plants described in 1840 Taxa named by Thomas Nuttall